


Life Is Too Short

by AerynB



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s10e20 Unending, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-27
Updated: 2007-08-27
Packaged: 2017-11-11 19:46:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/482230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AerynB/pseuds/AerynB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Suppose, for a moment, after the final scene of "Unending" after they're all spouting off 'Asgard words of wisdom,' Daniel starts to really consider what Vala might mean to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Beggars can’t be choosers._

He was pacing.

_Better late than never._

Again.

_Look before you leap._

On a Saturday no less.

_Silence is golden._

It was becoming a habit of late.

_Nothing ventured, nothing gained._

It was time he left anyway.

_Life is too short._

“Daniel Jackson,” a deep baritone called from down the hall of Stargate Command. “I have been observing you in front of my quarters for some time now.” Teal’c walked toward his door. “And not just today. Many times have I seen you pacing here.”

Daniel said nothing; he’d finally been caught.

Teal’c graciously nodded him into the room. “What is on your mind, Daniel Jackson?”

“Teal’c, I…” Daniel started. Then stopped. He tried to gather his thoughts. “I wanna know…” he trailed off.

Teal’c raised an eyebrow in question.

Daniel felt so stupid. He was suddenly back in high school trying to get his friend Jeremy to ask this girl – _what was her name?_ – if she liked Daniel. As it turned out, what’s-her-name _didn’t_ like him, well, except for the fact that he could help her with her German homework.

His logical mind begged him to leave this present train of thought alone, the one that had driven him to find Teal’c in the first place. There was no way he could convince Teal’c to tell him anything when he himself knew it was wrong to even ask. _Damn._ But if he didn’t ask… _Hell._

“Teal’c, I need to know what happened on the _Odyssey_.” There, he’d said it.

“I believe I have reported on all of the relevant facts of our time on the _Odyssey_ , Daniel Jackson.” Teal’c’s eyebrow rose, along with a faint upward curve of his lip. “Is there something in particular you wish to know?”

“See,” he channeled his inner teenager, “I knew it was stupid to ask. I knew you wouldn’t tell me.”

Daniel began to pace around the room. “I know I shouldn’t be bothered by it, but I am.” At each turn he looked at Teal’c, trying to explain.

“She said something last week, just before the mission. You know, when we were all joking around in the gateroom. It struck me as odd, that that particular cliché would pop out of her mouth. It was something I was going to say, well maybe not say out loud, but I was thinking it,” he spoke quickly, betraying his nervousness. “Not that I was thinking about _her_ , but I was thinking it. And apparently she was thinking it too. And I’m just so damned curious to know if we…” he glanced at Teal’c, asking to be understood with a look, “you know…”

Teal’c nodded in understanding as Daniel barely missed a beat and continued, “But what good would it do to know what happened in that,” he tried to find the right word, “scenario. I mean, it was a closed and bottled situation, our time on the _Odyssey_ ; it doesn’t necessarily follow that—whatever happened during those fifty years—that those same events would happen under normal circumstances.”

Daniel stopped talking and took a breath. He stopped pacing and took another breath. He looked at Teal’c, then down at the floor and shook his head. “Never mind, Teal’c, I shouldn’t have asked. Sorry,” he apologized, moving toward the door.

“Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c stepped forward and put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “I do not believe I have seen you this,” he paused, “out of sorts in quite some time.” When Daniel turned to face him, Teal’c continued, “You will find the answers you seek. Just follow your heart.”

“Well, that was cryptic.” He shrugged his shoulders, “But as always, you’re probably right.”

He headed for the door once again, his logic chiding him for dwelling on the dark-haired, alien woman, but his heart wanted to know where she was. Just as his hand closed around the doorknob, he lowered his head in defeat and asked, “Have you seen her yet this morning?”

“Vala Mal Doran? I believe she was with Colonel Carter in her lab,” Teal’c replied.

“So, she’s bothering Sam now, huh?” Daniel turned the knob and opened the door, shaking his head. He should probably use this quiet, Vala-free time to get some actual work done. He’d been terribly distracted for nearly a week.

Teal’c made no attempt to hide the smile on his face since Daniel’s back was to him. “They seemed to be working together…on Merlin’s out-of-phase technology, if memory serves.”

At this, Daniel straightened up a bit. _Working, huh? Together. Oh, maybe she – they – could use a break._

He turned and nodded to his friend, “Thanks, Teal’c. I really appreciate our,” he smiled slightly, “talk.”

Teal’c simply bowed in response as Daniel left his quarters.

*****

Sam and Vala had been bouncing ideas off each other for hours, working on a way to create a large enough field to shift the entire planet out of phase, without using up all the power generators in North America. Sam had to admit that Vala did have some really good ideas—some of the time. She recalled suddenly Cam’s mission report on P4M-328 and how Vala had used a naquadah bomb to power the gate in order to dial out manually. Physics wasn’t one of her stronger suits but she seemed to grasp the concepts pretty easily. And she really did want to help and learn and be useful around the SGC. It had taken Sam a while to trust Vala but she did, with her life. And in this line of work, that was saying a lot.

Vala was resourceful, but she was also fun to be around. Over the course of the past year, Sam felt like she had found a good friend, a lot like Janet had been. Early on, she’d gotten the impression that Vala felt like a tag-along. The simple code of sisterhood in a predominantly male environment compelled her to do as much as she could to put the woman at ease. Hence, their weekly girls’-day-out or girls’-night-in. Whether it was shopping, mochacchinos, and pedicures or pizza and a movie, Sam would never miss an opportunity to hang out with Vala and just be ‘one of the girls.’

“Hey,” a familiar voice spoke from the doorway.

“Hi, Daniel,” Sam replied, looking up from her laptop. “What’s up?”

“Oh nothing. I was actually looking for Vala.” He peered around the room as he walked toward Sam, unsuccessfully hiding his disappointment when he didn’t see any sign of a certain pigtailed space-pirate. “Teal’c mentioned that he saw her here earlier.”

“Oh yeah,” she glanced back at her laptop, trying to hide her smirk. “We were brainstorming a few things, but then Cam walked in and reminded her of their F-302 lesson.”

“She wants to be a fighter pilot?” Daniel asked, incredulously. “Would wonders never cease?” he mumbled under his breath.

“No, I think she just wants to be prepared.” She looked up at Daniel, wondering how much she should explain, wondering why he couldn’t see the obviousness of it. “It was something Teal’c said about our time on the _Odyssey_ , you know, how one of the plans to escape the Ori blast was to fly out on the F-302s. Vala said something to Cam and I a few days ago about wanting to learn to fly them, just in case either of us wasn’t around or unconscious or whatnot. She wants to be useful, Daniel. She wants to fit in, can’t you see that?” She shook her head at him and went back to work.

“But she _does_ fit in,” he shot back, a bit too defensively. “She’s a member of SG-1 now. She can fly ships as well as Teal’c; she knows a lot more about how the stargates and DHDs work than me or Mitchell. She even came up with that incredible plan to capture Adria, and it would’ve worked perfectly if Ba’al hadn’t shown up.” The steam in his voice fizzled out. “She doesn’t have to prove herself anymore, she already fits in.”

Turning from her laptop to Daniel so she could focus directly on him, Sam chose her next words delicately, “Well, look at it this way, Daniel. She might feel as if her usefulness is running out since Adria ascended. She still knows a lot more about the followers of the Ori than the rest of us, and that intel is invaluable…but what happens when the crusade is over? She might feel as if she isn’t needed anymore. And my guess is, she’s found a home here, something she hasn’t had in a very long time.” She paused, letting her words sink in. “The more I get to know her, the more I admire her. Coming to a new planet, not knowing anything about us _or_ our customs _or_ our technology…and she wants to learn, she wants to fit in. And not just here at the SGC,” she finished subtly.

Daniel looked down at his boots. Sam could tell he was thinking over her words and she let him have the quiet moment, but just a moment.

“Daniel?” Sam rested her elbow on the table and her head in her palm.

“Yeah? Oh, sorry,” he stuffed his hands in his pockets, “I’ve just been so busy with…well, at first trying to locate Merlin’s weapon and then the aftermath of that and then the latest threat to Earth…I guess I hadn’t noticed what she’s been doing around here…or how she might be feeling.”

Sam reached out to touch Daniel’s arm, coaxing him to look her in the eyes. “Hey, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat. It’s just that,” she sighed, “I mean, I didn’t know why she was around at first last year, and I may have judged her a little before I really got to know her. But I’ve started to get to know her this year and she’s really not all that bad.” She gave Daniel half a smile. “She’s kinda quirky, but everybody needs a little quirky in their lives, especially us. I think we’re very lucky to have her here.”

“Yeah. Guess I’ll let you get back to work.” He turned toward the doorway and she swiveled in her chair back to the workbench, trying to remember where she’d left off. “And, Sam,” he added over his shoulder.

“Yeah, Daniel?” she replied, barely looking up from her laptop.

“Thanks.”

“Any time.” She smiled and shook her head. One of her closest friends could be so dense.

*****

Alright, so Sam thought that Vala was trying to be useful and helpful to ensure that she would remain necessary to the Stargate Program. Was this how Vala really felt? What about the pigtails, the teasing and the flirting? Why couldn’t she tell him any of this? Why couldn’t she _trust_ him when he asked?

Teal’c knew something but wouldn’t say. Sam admired her, more than that she trusted and respected her. Even Landry was warming up to Vala because of the incidents with her father and then with Adria. _So what the hell is going on with me?_ Daniel looked up all of a sudden, not exactly sure where he was in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain. Every corridor looked the same as any other corridor in the SGC. “Oops, wrong floor.” He backtracked to the elevator and rode it up two levels. The 302-simulators were on this level and hopefully he’d finally run into Vala.

The room was large, large enough to hold two or three simulators, each about a quarter of the size of a real F-302. The elevator opened onto a wide platform overlooking the training room, with a circular staircase that led down to the simulators themselves. Daniel caught sight of her at once in one of the 302-cockpits. Mitchell was leaning very close to Vala, pointing at the gauges and controls. She followed his hand with her own and repeated what he said, taking it all in and smiling brightly up at him when she managed to figure out one of the controls before he could tell her what it was. It really was innocent but Daniel felt fire in his blood for reasons he could not explain.

He practically ran down the stairs, but his speed and the curvature of the staircase made him a little dizzy and disoriented when he finally reached the concrete floor. He glared at Mitchell and Vala, yet all coherent thought had fled from his mind. He breathed in and out and closed his eyes.

Fortunately, Mitchell and Vala were unaware of Daniel’s internal meltdown. They simply looked at him as if there was some kind of emergency and both asked at once, “What’s wrong, Jackson/Daniel?”

“What? Nothing. I just…” he was stuttering, trying to clear his head of, what, jealousy? _Okay, I’m making a fool of myself._ “I was just looking for Vala.” He looked up at her and saw…surprise? He shook it from his mind. “Sam said you were up here learning how to fly the 302s.”

“Oh, yeah,” Mitchell confirmed, brows knitted. He slowly backed up from the cockpit. “Well, I was just startin’ to familiarize her with the systems and controls and…you know.” Mitchell took another few steps away from the simulator and looked over at Vala, who was herself standing up to exit the cockpit. “But it can wait until another day, ’kay, Vala? We don’t really have that many missions in space. And after our last trip on the _Odyssey_ , I’d much prefer to travel by stargate. So, um…” Clearing his throat, he walked up to Daniel and said quietly under his breath, “Sorry, man, it wasn’t anything like it might’ve looked, okay?”

“Yeah,” Daniel let out the breath he’d been holding in and Mitchell strode off toward the staircase and the elevator.

Vala hopped down from the 302-simulator just a few feet above the ground. She looked at Daniel, trying to read what he was feeling from the expression on his face, but he was a jumble of emotions and a suitable course of action did not present itself. _Okay, he’s obviously flustered, for whatever reason; let’s not try to antagonize him for once._ “Well, you’ve found me. What was it that you needed?” she smiled brightly, hoping to calm him further.

Daniel inwardly shook his head, berating himself for his jealous behavior. _I am a prized ass! Mitchell wasn’t coming on to her; she wasn’t coming on to him. What the hell is wrong with me?_

He plastered a smile on his face and replied to Vala, “Nothing really.” _Okay, damage control._ “I was just wondering if you were free this afternoon for lunch. I’ve gotta run a few errands off base and I thought you might want to come along,” Daniel grinned sheepishly, trying to make his invitation sound nonchalant, but friendly too.

“Sure! Sounds like fun,” she said playfully with a smirk. “I was enjoying the lesson on the 302s, but Mitchell’s right, that can wait.”

They fell into step easily and Daniel began to relax as they headed toward the elevator. He’d expected her to tease him, to take advantage of his Neanderthal-like reaction. Two years ago she would have easily and oh-so-delicately shown him the error of his ways, right in front of Mitchell too. But she hadn’t said a word about his frantic, flustered behavior. Maybe she really _had_ changed.

“To be honest,” Vala continued, “I think he might have developed a space-phobia. I know Teal’c didn’t tell us that many details about the trip, but _fifty years_. I can just imagine Mitchell going stir crazy. You know,” she turned around and looked him straight in the eyes, deadly serious, “he may never step foot on a spaceship again.”

Daniel couldn’t help but smile inwardly, as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the car. Vala continued without hesitation, as Daniel pressed the button for the desired floor, “He may need to see one of your base psychologists.”

Whether to ease Daniel’s anxiety or perhaps her own, Vala kept talking, wondering out loud about their time aboard the _Odyssey_. “Samantha, of course, was working hard on a solution to the problem. Teal’c? I bet he meditated, most of the time. Probably sparred with me and Mitchell a bit too. And you?” She smiled at nothing in particular and then up at Daniel, “that’s easy, you were definitely locked up in the room with the Asgard computers, trying to learn…well, everything,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“How very perceptive of you,” he laughed with her. _How in the world did she know me, and everyone else, so well?_ he thought to himself. “You know,” he observed wisely, “I probably forgot to eat and sleep on a number of occasions even.”

“Yes, you tend to do that.”

The elevator came to a halt and he followed her out into the hallway toward the base personnel’s living quarters. Her room was three doors down to the left, his own was just a little farther down on the right.

“What do you think _you_ were doing all those years?” He really shouldn’t have asked, but the question was out. He couldn’t take it back without betraying how much the answer meant to him. How would she answer this? Was he testing her? Was that even fair?

Vala was silent for a long time. “Oh, I don’t know, Daniel. I…”

They walked the entire length of the hallway and stopped in front of her door before she finally provided him with an answer.

“Daniel, I really don’t know. But I can empathize with Mitchell.” She folded her hands together and looked down at them. “I don’t think I would’ve handled myself very well on that ship for all that time.”

It was a pretty good answer to his very blunt question. Did he really expect her to lay it all out there, all her feelings, as simply as snapping her fingers?

He saw her recover quickly and look up at him with raised eyebrows, “I mean, the three-week trip to Orilla was enough to get me antsy and throw you a birthday party. Can’t you just imagine what I’d be like for fifty years?”

Daniel could see the deflection for what it was, a less than subtle attempt to guard truer feelings. He might as well meet her halfway. “I might’ve locked myself up with the Asgard database like you said, but I doubt I would’ve had much fun living that way for so long, not being able to share it with anyone.” Honesty begets honesty. This was somehow starting to feel…right.

“Dr. Jackson to General Landry’s office. Dr. Jackson to General Landry’s office.” The base announcement system had effectively ruined their little moment.

Daniel looked up at the ceiling, then back down at Vala. “I think Landry wants to know how I’m progressing with the most recent intel from our last mission. That’s one of the errands I’ve gotta run. Go to the library for a manuscript from Old English history,” he ticked off on the fingers of his left hand, “my apartment for an artifact I know has gotta be there, somewhere, I’ve just misplaced it, and lunch of course, not necessarily in that order though.” He gave her another half smile when the P.A. announcement was repeated. “I better go. Can I meet you back here in, say, thirty minutes?”

“Yeah, sure,” Vala smiled, a nice big one that started with her eyes and lit up her entire face. “See you in half an hour,” she waved to him as he walked hurriedly back to the elevators.

*****

Vala knew exactly how she answered Daniel’s pointed question whenever she asked it of herself, the many hundreds of times she’d asked herself since they’d arrived home from the _Odyssey_ trip. She had given Daniel the boiled down version just now, but with herself she was honest.

She had always hated feeling restless, useless, and bored. Being stuck on a ship in a time dilation field that she had no way of fixing herself, that had to be the utter definition of being bored and useless. She just knew that she would have tried some way, _any_ way, to be close to Daniel. From listening to him talk about his theories and philosophies, to hiding near the doorway of the room with the Asgard database and watching him work, like she sometimes did here on the base. She could even imagine, if things had gotten bad enough, she might have tried to slap him upside the head in order to force him to see what there could be between them, even though she knew that that wasn’t the way to his heart. But in desperation…hell, she wasn’t perfect. _Fifty years_.

*****


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel returned as promised, having hastily changed into jeans and a T-shirt and throwing on his leather jacket after his brief meeting with General Landry. He knocked on Vala’s door and she opened it moments later. Apparently not wanting to get up from her desk, she was precariously leaning on two of the chair legs to reach the door. Daniel pushed the door open to let himself in and saw that Vala was engrossed with something on her laptop. She had changed into jeans and a black V-neck sweater. She’d also undone her pigtails and fastened a shiny barrette in her hair.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Hmm?” She was still focused on her computer. “Well, I was thinking of buying Cassie a book for her birthday.” She looked up at Daniel, imploring, “And since we’ll be out running errands, I thought maybe we could stop by the bookstore as well?”  

“That’s this Thursday, isn’t it? I’d almost forgotten. Yeah, there should be plenty of time this afternoon.” He leaned in closer to see what she was looking at. “What are you thinking of getting her?”

“Well, Sam tells me that Cassie is studying biology at college, specifically genetics; there’s plenty of stuff out there she might be interested in.” She gestured with her arms the scope of the subject she’d been researching. “But I came across this the other day,” she said, pointing toward an image on the screen. “It’s a theory about how mutations in DNA can cause super-human powers.” 

“Like the ‘X-Men,’” Daniel deadpanned.

“No, be serious, Daniel. This isn’t about blue, beast-like people or guys who can shoot lasers out of their eyes.” She shook her head at him. “I think it’s a genuine theory about well-above-average physical and mental abilities, such as regeneration, telekinesis and telepathy, and how they can develop in humans.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t think that…” he’d only meant to tease her, not belittle her. Obviously she had given a lot of thought to her gift. “But it makes sense that she’d be interested in this,” Daniel added quickly, “given what Nirrti did to her and her people.”

“That’s exactly what I thought when Sam told me about how Cassie came to live here on Earth. Anyway, I thought she might appreciate the book,” Vala looked away and started chewing on her thumb, “and it might take too long to ship it here in time…” 

“Hey, I already said we could pick it up, no need for the puppy dog eyes.” He crouched down in front of Vala, so that he was in her line of sight, “It’s a really great idea, I’m sure Cassie’ll love it.”

At that Vala’s eyes brightened. She smiled, closed her laptop and stood up, “Then what are we waiting for, we have errands to run!” 

*****

Together they made their way up to the parking garage, discussing where they should go first. They easily agreed that having lunch should be their top priority, since they were both starving. 

“All right, where to then?” Vala asked, as Daniel held the passenger-side door open for her. “Any place I’ve been?”

Daniel hesitated a moment, then showed off his dimples with a smile, “Umm, it’s a surprise.” 

*****

Everything looked very familiar to Vala, but why would he bring her here? At the final turn she realized where they were and an uneasy feeling, having little to do with hunger, settled in her stomach. 

Daniel pulled the car over and parked near the curb across the street from his choice of restaurants. He’d been watching the road for pedestrians so carefully that he hadn’t noticed Vala’s discomfort until he’d turned off the ignition and faced her. It looked like she was having a staring contest with her shoes, and she was taking two or three deep, steadying breaths.

Daniel hadn’t expected this reaction at all. “Hey, is something wrong? I thought…” He’d really thought she’d be happy to come here, to visit with the man who had taken her in and cared for her when she was so lost. 

Vala blinked and looked up from the floorboards. “No, it’s fine. I was…remembering those few weeks I spent here. Remembering not remembering, you know,” she laughed a little. “Sorry, I just needed a minute.” Her smile was firmly in place, “I’m ready now; we can go in.”

“You don’t have to be ready.” He rested his right hand on her knee to offer comfort. “We don’t have to go in if you’re uncomfortable.” He paused a moment, his thoughts racing through his mind. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize how this would affect you. I really thought you’d be happy to come back here and tell Sol how you were doing. That you were all better. A kind of closure, I guess. I didn’t think you’d be upset, really. Here,” he turned back to the steering wheel and inserted the car key back in the ignition, “I’ll take you somewhere else.” 

Vala laid a hand on his and looked up into his eyes. “I’m fine. Really, Daniel. I just hadn’t expected to come back here. I haven’t really thought about my kidnapping, or the time I spent here, in quite a while. I do want to see him. He was very kind to me. But the memories, they overwhelmed me for a minute, that’s all.” She released his hand and exited the car.

When they’d locked the doors and were crossing the street, Vala remembered the mistake Daniel had inadvertently made. “By the way, his name is Sal.” 

“It says ‘Sol’s Diner,’” he retorted, confusion written on his face. “I thought you told us his name was Sol. It even says so on the building.”

She raised an eyebrow up at him. 

“Okay, doesn’t matter.” He closed his eyes briefly, as if he was rearranging his mental filing cabinet, “ _Sal_ , I got it. You ready?” he asked finally.

“Ready,” she replied, although she wasn’t entirely sure she was. This was starting to become a very trying afternoon. 

The bell on the door rang, signaling their entrance into the diner, and a flood of memories washed over her again. Hunger, fear, confusion…hunger. She probably should’ve had more than a bagel with jam for breakfast, because her actual hunger today was reminding her of the past, and all that had transpired to bring her to this place.

“Table for two,” a waitress came up to them. Vala’s face lit up as she instantly recognized her good friend who’d helped her get started as a waitress. “Val, goodness, where ya been, girl? Sal,” she shouted back to the kitchen, “get out here! Val’s back!” 

Vala and Flo shared a heartfelt embrace. Then Sal rushed out and enveloped them both in a huge bear hug, squeezing the breath from their lungs. Flo gave her another smile and left to serve the diner’s other customers.

“Aw, kid, Detective Ryan told us you were okay, that your friends came and got you.” He looked her over once and beamed, “You look great, kid. Everything good? Everything back to normal up there?” he pointed to her head, looking concerned. 

“Yeah, Sal, everything’s fine. I work for the government actually, all very ‘hush hush’ if you know what I mean,” she whispered and winked at him.

Relief swept over the man’s face. “Shoulda guessed with all them visions you was havin’ and that special training. But what am I rambling for, you two must be hungry. Lemme get you something, whatever you want, ‘on the house’!” 

Vala started to protest, but Daniel cut her off, “No, Sal, we couldn’t. You did so much for Vala when her memory was gone. You kept her safe and we’re very grateful to you.”

“Yeah, well,” he stammered a little, apparently unsure of what to make of the tall gentleman standing a little too protectively close to her. 

Vala felt the tension gathering around them and stepped in quickly, “Where are my manners? Sal, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson. He’s an archaeologist and a good friend of mine,” she smiled reassuringly at her once-protector. “Daniel, this is Sal of Sol’s Diner, the man who took me in and helped me out in my hour of need.” At this Sal visibly blushed and the two men shook hands amicably.

“Yeah, all right, no need to embarrass me, Val. Anybody else woulda done the same. You’re a good girl. Aw, but look at me, rambling again. What do you want?” He waved Daniel off when he was about to step in again, “Naw, don’t worry, I’ll let you pay an’ all that. Lemme find you a table.” 

He guided them to a booth in the corner and Vala thanked him, then ordered two cheeseburgers, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. “Comin’ right up,” Sal beamed and sauntered back to the kitchen.

“The cheeseburgers are fantastic and…oh, did you want a milkshake? I wasn’t sure.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll just have water. Hey, Vala. ‘Friend’?”

“As opposed to…?” she asked, knowing he was talking about her introduction of him. 

“Coworker,” he replied.

“Oh, well, I’d started out calling you a doctor and then I thought I should explain what kind. I suppose I could have made you into a medical doctor or a psychologist or something but then you would have been embroiled in my little white lie and believe me, your acting skills are not nearly as good as mine. So I went with the truth, which would be so much easier for you, and then I thought if I said coworker it might be too hard to explain why an archaeologist would be working for the government, so I slid into ‘friend.’” She took a deep breath. “You can’t be upset, I mean, we are friends, aren’t we? And the introduction served its purpose—Sal calmed down.” 

“Yeah, I was just surprised. Sorry. It was well thought out.”

“You’re impressed by my lying, hmm,” she gave him a sideways glance and took a sip from her glass of water. 

“Well, you didn’t outright lie. I guess, geez, I’ve never really thought about it. You’re an…” he caught himself from saying ‘alien’ when she raised an eyebrow and he continued, “you’re not from here. But all the time you were living here at the diner, you thought you were ‘from here.’ And now I’ve brought you back and you’re reliving the realization that you’re an…damn…not ‘from here.’ I can be really stupid sometimes,” Daniel admitted, more to himself than to Vala.

“Yeah, well…yes, you can be,” she laughed and they waited in relaxed silence for a few minutes until their meals were served to them. 

“Mmm, you were right,” Daniel spoke between mouthfuls of cheeseburger. “This is really good.”

“Told you.” 

“My grandpa used to bring me to places like this. Cheesy little diners in out of the way places. He called them ‘greasy spoons.’” He smiled at the memory.

“I’d overheard a number of patrons refer to this place like that when I was here. It didn’t seem to be a favorable description, so I never asked what it meant,” but she asked him now with her eyes. 

“Oh. I guess it just means an old-fashioned diner with a lot of greasy food. It’s kinda nostalgic, at least for me. My grandpa, my father’s father, used to take me out to lunch and tell me stories about when he was a kid, about the trouble he’d gotten into. I loved his stories.”

“When Sal offered to help me, I could tell he was being sincere. I didn’t realize until much later, when I got my memories back that he sorta reminded me of an uncle of mine, my mother’s brother. Short little man, good cook, too. Liked to wrap me up in a big hug like Sal just did.” She swirled a french fry in some ketchup. “I had this feeling of being safe here, you know, even though I knew it wasn’t my life.” She looked up at Daniel, “I’m glad you all found me. Not knowing who I was… I was safe here, but so terribly afraid, too.” 

“I’m glad we found you, too.” Daniel reached out a hand to hers, the one that was twirling the fry. She let go of the half-eaten food, focusing her attention on his thumb rubbing across her knuckles. He meant it as a simple show of support, yet as the day was progressing, he was beginning to feel a lot more for the complex creature sitting across from him.

***** 

Flo came over twenty minutes later and brought them their check. Vala invited her to sit down and fill her in on all the gossip while Daniel rifled through his wallet for cash. The two women were talking and laughing so animatedly that Daniel was able to slip out unnoticed and head toward the kitchen. He’d been prepared to excuse himself to use the restroom, but the overly made-up waitress had provided him with the perfect distraction so that he could seek out Sal and thank him once again.

The short, stocky man was standing in front of the grill, flipping a couple of burgers onto buns when Daniel called out to him. 

“Sal? I wanted to thank you again for helping Vala out. You didn’t know anything about her and you watched out for her anyway.”

“It was nothing. When she gave me her sob story, I almost didn’t believe her. Lies come easily to a lotta people when they’re trying to stiff a hard-working guy like myself. But, I dunno. She really looked scared when I said she should go to a hospital—y’know, if she really _was_ hurt. I took a chance on her. And she never let me down. She’s a good kid, and I’m really glad she’s all better now.” 

“Is there anything I can do, Sal? Any way I can help you like you helped Vala? I feel like I should do something.” His hand closed around the few bills he had readied in his jeans pocket.

“Naw, son. I’m good. I got enough to take care of my family and put bread on the table. You just make sure to take care of Val, alright? Keep her happy and we’re square.” 

“I think I can do that. Thanks again, Sal.” He left the money in his pocket, shook hands with Vala’s guardian angel, then turned to see the woman herself in the doorway.

“Got lost?” she murmured as they walked up to each other. 

“Yeah,” he didn’t hide his smile, since he’d obviously been caught, “something like that.”

“Flo’s up at the register by now; I’ll be out in a minute.” 

“Take your time,” he patted her shoulder and walked out of the kitchen. Vala took a deep breath, gathering strength.

“Well, Sal,” she popped her gum and slid into her diner voice, “Flo told me to tell you that table number seven wants two checkerboards with motor oil, extra pigs and a cuppa joe and,” she cleared her throat and spoke softly, “and I wanted to give you this.” She handed over a couple of hundred dollar bills. 

The smile on Sal’s face instantly became a frown. “No, Val, I can’t take this.”

“Yes you can, and you will,” she said firmly. “You were decent to me when a lot of people out there in this world wouldn’t have been. I’m just trying to say thank you.” She closed his hand around the bills. 

“Well, maybe you could get taxes lowered instead?” he tried once more to pass the money back, but Vala would have none of it.

“Nice try, but wrong branch of government,” she winked at him. 

“Eh, it was worth a shot,” he pocketed the money reluctantly. “Y’know, you haven’t lost your touch. Sure you don’t wanna ditch that government gig and come back and work for me? We still got your old uniform in the back,” he thumbed in the direction behind him.

“Sorry, Sal, I can’t.” 

“I know.”

Vala wrapped him in a big hug and fought the tears forming in her eyes. “Say hi to Chrissy and the kids for me, okay?” Then she turned quickly and skipped out of the kitchen, just pausing to wave at the door. 

She met up with Daniel who was waiting at the diner’s entrance. He must have noticed the tears swimming in her eyes because he reached for her hand as he held the door open for her. The diner’s bell rang loudly behind them.

Vala found her voice as they crossed the street to his car, “How much did you leave with Flo?” 

“I emptied my wallet, I think it was about $297… Wait! How did you know?”

“You’re a good man, Daniel, and you wanted to say thank you somehow. Thing is, Sal’s a good man, too, and more stubborn than a Jaffa trying to free his people from slavery. He’d never let you give him anything. It was hard enough to get him take the money I was offering him.” Daniel unlocked her door and held it open for her as she slid into the front seat. 

When he’d gotten situated behind the steering wheel Daniel asked, “How much were you able to give him?”

“Two hundred dollars,” Vala replied, “most of my cash. “Incidentally, I may need you to spot me for Cassie’s gift until we get back to the base.” 

“Not a problem,” Daniel answered at once. “Flo was more than understanding. When I told her I wanted to leave them a little money and that Sal wouldn’t take it, she said she’d find a way to slip the fives and tens in the drawer over the next few days. She said she could act all excited when a customer left a fifty dollar tip next week, you know, that sort of thing.”

“They’re good people, Daniel. I was so fortunate.” 

“Present tense, Vala, you _are_ fortunate.”

“Yeah. Well. Where to next?” 

Sol’s Diner was located in the industrial section of Colorado Springs. They were about 10 miles from the main shopping and residential districts, so they decided to get Cassie’s gift next, since it was on the way to the library and Daniel’s apartment.

***** 

It was simply amazing that Vala was able to pry Daniel out of the bookstore in just under half an hour. She’d found the book for Cassie in about five minutes, but in her quest for the gift, she’d lost her companion. Vala backtracked through the shelves of books, carefully keeping her panic in check. It wasn’t that the two of them couldn’t take care of themselves, but she _had_ been kidnapped from a restaurant near here, and not too long ago a bounty hunter had nearly killed Daniel while he’d been similarly distracted by books. She knew she would find him, but she didn’t appreciate the fear that always built up inside her where Daniel’s safety was concerned.

“I can’t believe they published his work!” 

She let out a heavy sigh. By the sound of it, he was nearby, maybe two aisles to the left she supposed.

When she finally found him, he was flipping through a book and mumbling more quietly to himself. She silently stared at him, biting back a reprimand for leaving her alone when she could have been abducted yet again. Neither of them needed the reminder, so instead, she walked up to him and asked what was wrong. 

“What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong!” he seethed. “This man doesn’t know the difference between Mesopotamia and Assyria and they’ve published his book! It’s incredible, unbelievable! I knew him in grad school, this pompous, womanizing…how he ever graduated _college_ , let alone got published, is beyond me!”

Vala grinned at her absent-minded professor. “Well, from what you’re saying, they should’ve locked him up and thrown away the key. I mean, really,” she took the book from his hands and fanned the pages, “it is _very_ important to know the difference between Mesotamia and Syria. How could _anyone_ not see the importance?” 

“You’re mocking me.”

“You’re a little worked up over a book.” 

“I was just looking for something on Merlin…”

“You were checking up on colleagues, Daniel. This section has little to do with Old English history or Arthurian legends. I think it’s marked Ancient Middle Eastern History down there,” she pointed down the aisle where she’d come from. “It’s alright, though.” She placed the book back on the shelf and looped an arm through his, guiding him away from his past. “I’ve been known to wonder about how some of my ‘friends’ are doing these days. Mitchell couldn’t stop talking about his high school buddies when we went to his reunion.” 

Daniel raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well, he could stop talking, but I kept pestering him for information. Funny, he didn’t mention Amy at all until she walked up to us in the school gym.” She shook her head and continued, “The point is, the past is in the past, don’t let it bother you too much.” 

“Is that what you do?”

“Not let the past bother me? I guess I do. If I let my past haunt me, I don’t think I’d be able to do anything constructive with my life. Besides, we’ve got bigger things than our pasts to worry about.” 

“The Ori,” Daniel whispered.

“They do tend to put a damper on everything,” Vala agreed. “Do you still want to look for anything about Merlin, or are you ready to go to the library?”  

“Maybe just one look in the right section?” he asked. “Then we can go?”  

Vala nodded her approval and they walked arm in arm to the proper aisle. She found a comfy chair nearby and sat down to flip through Cassie’s book while Daniel perused a shelf devoted to Merlin.

She was so caught up in her own book she barely noticed Daniel walking back to her not ten minutes later. 

“Nothing,” he frowned. “We’ve learned so much about Merlin in the past two years, a lot of these theories are…well, the nicest way to say it is ‘incorrect.’ But I know for certain that the manuscript at the library will be helpful, so I’m ready to go if you are.”

“Absolutely, darling! I can’t wait to spend another minute in a place with dusty old books,” she teased. 

“Alright, I guess I deserved that,” he smiled. “I know what I’m looking for though, so I’ll be quick.” They walked up to the register and Daniel pulled out his wallet and handed his credit card over to the cashier.

When they’d paid for the book and were walking back to the car, Vala spoke up, “You do realize I was only joking, right, Daniel? You can take as long as you like, actually. This book I’m getting Cassie is fascinating. It makes me wonder how Adria’s DNA must have differed from mine in order for her to have the kind of powers she had. I suppose that’s why the scientists at Area 51 are studying my bloodwork as compared to hers. Our DNA must be so similar, by picking out the differences maybe they can pinpoint some of the markers that give her her powers. Not that we have to deal with her anymore, of course. But it’s still worth studying, I imagine.” 

“It’s definitely worth studying. Not all science has to be practical. Sometimes it’s just as useful to find out the truths of things. The practicality can come later.”

The library wasn’t far away and traffic was light, so they’d made it to their destination quickly. They found a librarian and she led them to a room with hundreds of mismatched books and texts. Daniel immediately picked out what he was looking for and gave it to the attendant for packaging. Because he was a valued member of the academic community, not to mention his relationship with the government, he was allowed to take the ancient text out of the library. He signed the register and agreed to bring back the item in a month, he also confirmed a contact number in case someone else requested the work and he had no further need of it. 

*****


	3. Chapter 3

“Here we are, last stop.” 

Daniel unlocked the door and cocked his head, motioning Vala into his apartment. She stepped in and looked around as Daniel locked the door behind them. “I could give you the ten-cent tour, if you like?” he said as he put a hand on the small of her back to guide her further into the room.

“Wait.” She fished in her pocket for a few coins, chose one of the smallest, silver ones, and handed it to Daniel with a smile. 

_You’re adorable_ , he caught himself from saying it out loud, and merely returned the smile. “The living room’s right here. There’s a TV if you want to watch something. I can show you how to work the remote, if you want?”

“I think I can manage.” 

“Okay, well, the kitchen is back here. I’ve got,” he opened the refrigerator door, and closed it again immediately, “water if you’re thirsty. The glasses are up above the sink. Um, let’s see, down the hall is a guest room I’ve turned into storage.” They walked down the hall to the room in question and peered through the doorway. Stacks of cardboard boxes lined the walls and covered the floor. “I think the artifact I need is somewhere in here.”

“You have any idea where?” her eyes roamed over every box and the small labels affixed to the sides. 

“Kinda.” He squinted behind his glasses. “They’re labeled, but not in any sort of order.”

“I’d love to help, Daniel, but it doesn’t look like two people can fit in here with all these boxes.” 

He laughed, “Yeah, the cleaning lady doesn’t even come in here, she’s too afraid to knock anything over. Um, over here is the guest bathroom,” he opened the door and quickly shut it but not before Vala had seen several boxes against the wall and a few stacks in the tub. “I forgot, I use that room for storage, too.”

“Haven’t entertained much lately, have you?” 

“Nope. Well, you can use my bathroom if you need to.”

“No boxes?” 

He smiled and shook his head, “No.”

“I actually would like to…freshen up, if I could?” 

“Oh yeah, of course. This way.” He opened the door to his bedroom and pointed to the small room in the corner, indicating his bathroom. “I’ll be down the hall. Just make yourself comfortable, this could take me a while.”

After finishing up in the bathroom, Vala wandered around Daniel’s room for a minute or two. He probably hadn’t meant to give her access to so many of his private things, but she couldn’t suppress her curiosity. 

There were pictures of Sam, Jack, and Teal’c on his dresser. They were smiling and holding glasses up in Teal’c’s direction in a room she didn’t recognize. There was one of him and Jack holding up two incredibly small fish near a lake and what looked like a house in the forest. Sam and Teal’c were in the next picture, their fish looked a little bigger.

She recognized Cassie in the frame to the right and felt reasonably sure that the woman standing with her arm around the younger woman’s shoulders was Janet Fraiser. She glanced further along the dresser and noticed Mitchell’s smiling blue eyes looking at her, and then remembered that the picture had been taken at the ‘rib joint’ near Mitchell’s place after her rescue. The whole team had gone out to dinner to celebrate Vala’s official membership into SG-1. Samantha had the same picture on her desk, the waiter had taken it with her camera. Vala wondered suddenly if Daniel had asked Sam for a copy. It seemed like something he might do. 

Finally, in the back, half-hidden by the other frames, she saw a picture of a beautiful olive-skinned woman with long, curly dark hair and soft chocolate-brown eyes. His wife. The one who had been taken as a host by the Goa’uld. The person he’d fought so hard to find yet lost.

Vala instantly recognized the woman from the same framed picture Daniel had in his office. She closed her eyes, trying to determine which Goa’uld had used the breathtaking woman as a host. Teal’c had been first prime to Apophis and, she finally recalled, Amaunet had been the serpent god’s mate. She shuddered involuntarily. 

That particular goddess was ruthless and Vala, as host to Qetesh, only ever once was called to Amaunet’s side. Vala remembered the experience in flashes and feelings, if not in details. Fighting to keep some kind of control of her mind had been difficult at best with her own demon; but this woman must have been incredibly strong to fight off Amaunet for even a few minutes to be able to say goodbye to Daniel.

How had Daniel dealt with that pain? How could anyone? 

Daniel, SG-1, and the Tau’ri had done the galaxy a great service by defeating the Goa’uld. But in the aftermath, were the Lucien Alliance or even petty thieves like she had been any better? Well, no one said the galaxy was perfect. Can goodness be recognized if there is no evil with which to compare it? A flimsy excuse for imperfection if ever she heard one. And now she was the reason the Ori knew about this galaxy, she was the reason the priors had come to spread the word of Origin. And after the priors, there had been the armies of the Ori, led by none other than her daughter.

She gingerly set the picture of Daniel’s wife back in its place behind the other photos. “Do you have any regrets, Daniel?” she asked of the smiling man sitting next to her at the ‘rib joint.’ 

“Yeah, all the time.”

***** 

He knew that he was leaving himself open to her curiosity the minute he left his bedroom. In her shoes he’d probably do the same thing. But despite his unease at knowing that in a few minutes she’d be looking around his apartment at all of his things, he didn’t feel compelled to sanitize it, to remove anything that personalized him.

It wasn’t that he was embarrassed by the things that had made him who he was, it was the sense of self-defense he had when it came to Vala Mal Doran. He’d worked so hard to keep her at arm’s length, to not let her see behind his carefully constructed walls. But during this whole day, it seemed as if, together, they were breaking down those walls, and not just his but hers as well. She’d done nothing today to deserve his wariness and mistrust. In fact, she’d done a whole lot of things to earn even more of his trust and respect, especially on a personal level. So he could handle it if she went poking around. It might even open the door for her to share with him, who knew. 

After ten minutes or so of intermittent sneezing through dust and searching the storage room for the artifact Sarah Gardner had given him from England, he remembered that it wasn’t with any of these stacks but in a box with all of the things that reminded him of Sarah and their brief relationship in graduate school.

Back then, neither of them were studying Early Anglo-Saxon culture, so they hadn’t recognized the small trinket’s significance to Arthurian legend. It wasn’t like Sarah had stumbled upon the sangraal, but she had found a rare heirloom from her days at Oxford and given it to Daniel as a kind of gift. She had said that he was her Camelot knight in shining armor, or something like that. 

He weaved his way around the room and out the door. Standing in the hallway, he wondered briefly where Vala had got to, since he hadn’t heard her pass by the storage room. He walked past the kitchen and into the living room and, having not seen her, realized that she must still be in his bedroom. Fighting a wave of panic that she was undressed and hiding under his covers, he strode quickly yet quietly back to his room.

What he saw nearly unmade him. 

The woman was reverently holding the picture of his wife and placing it back neatly where she’d found it on his dresser. She then touched another picture and sighed heavily. “Do you have any regrets, Daniel?”

She couldn’t have heard him, could she? She might have been speaking to herself. He decided to find out. 

“Yeah, all the time.”

She spun toward the doorway with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look, and Daniel felt some glee at having caught her unaware. He silently begged that she wouldn’t lie or dissemble in some way to get out of her capture. He wanted a truthful Vala, not the disguise. 

“I was just…”

“I _do_ regret not being able to save Sha’re,” he interrupted before she could hedge out an excuse for her prying. “I regret the life I never got to have with her, or the family we could have had. But those events led me back here to Earth, where I have a different kind of home and family, so I try not to dwell too much on that other life.” 

“I…” she started, glancing back at the picture. “She was very beautiful. I hadn’t realized when you told me about her, but I’d met Amaunet once while I was Qetesh. I think it was only a year or two after that that her host fell irreparably ill and the search for a new host began. The Tok’ra had found and rescued me by then and I was unaware of the change. I wish, for your sake, that they’d been able to rescue her, too.”

“Don’t.” He walked into the room and stood close to her. “Weren’t you the one who said ‘not to let the past bother you’?” 

“I meant the little things,” she snorted and rolled her eyes. “I don’t let the fact that Caius has his precious cargo ship back bother me, or that my ‘friend’ Yangus double-crossed me to get to a treasure hidden on Neos. But this is different. If the Tok’ra had managed to find and rescue your wife then the Ori might never have learned about this galaxy.

“Instead, _I_ was rescued,” she turned her back on him and began to pace around the small room, “and out of survival I turned to a life of thieving and arms-dealing. I met you and wanted to see you again, so I found a tablet that gave directions to a treasure trove here on your quaint little planet. Not to be separated from you and the inevitable adventure, I slapped those stupid bracelets on us and all but forced you to take me along to Avalon. 

“All that I can forgive,” she continued, “but we found that ‘communication device’ and I insisted that I go along with you, Daniel. I pride myself on my lying and acting skills, but when that woman caught me in the act, I panicked. If Mitchell or Teal’c had gone, or anyone else for that matter, I don’t suppose any of them would have been fool enough to get themselves burned alive.” She stopped in her tracks a step or two away from Daniel. “In my curiosity, arrogance and stupidity, I led the Ori right to us.”

_Talk about regrets_. “You do realize that you didn’t say anything about the Alterrans or the Ancients or that we were from a different galaxy communicating through Harrid and Sallis. That was all me, remember? Are you saying I should’ve kept my mouth shut and let them kill you? Would you have, if our positions were reversed?” 

“Of course not, like I could have stood by and let them burn you. But that’s not the point, I got us into this mess.”

“Maybe, but I was the one screaming and yelling at the top of my lungs to get them to understand. And you just agreed that you would have done the same thing. But we’re talking in circles.” He didn’t seem to be getting through to her. “It’s neither of our faults that the Ori know about us.” 

He tried a different angle.

“Did you know Mitchell blames himself too? He thinks that if he wasn’t so desperate to ‘get the band back together,’ then none of this would’ve happened.” 

“That’s ridiculous,” she scoffed. “I’m the one who brought the tablet and the bracelets. He had nothing to do with it.”

“From his point of view, he found your treasure hunt so intriguing and fitting so well with his plan that he didn’t care about the consequences. He was just so gung ho for an adventure.” 

“So, you’re saying this is his fault?”

“No. I’m saying that it’s nobody’s fault. It’s the Ori’s fault for coming after us with priors and armies of crusaders. It’s possibly even the Ancients’ fault for not dealing with their own problems and leaving it to us to clean up the mess. But it’s definitely not our fault.” 

Vala shook her head back and forth. “I still should’ve killed Adria when I knew what she was. I should’ve done away with the baby when I knew I was pregnant, instead I married Tomin so that I could keep the baby and remain alive.”

Daniel closed the distance between them and set his hands on her shoulders. They’d had this discussion before but apparently it hadn’t sunk in. “You had no idea what the Ori had planned; you had no idea that Adria would grow up unusually fast and become an icon for the followers of Origin. And I doubt killing her would have made a difference. The armies still looked to the priors for guidance and leadership, one of them would have naturally stepped in as leader in Adria’s absence. The ships and armies would still have come. Look at what’s happening now. Adria’s gone and the fighting continues.” 

He lifted her chin to get her to look at him. “And even having no idea what it feels like to carry a child, I doubt you could have killed the unborn baby inside you. You have a moral center, Vala, it may have been corrupted in your past, but I still see it in you. Simply by the fact that you carry regrets such as these and place a whole lot of unnecessary blame on your shoulders.”

She twisted her face away and closed her eyes but he could still see tears forming at the lids. 

“I should’ve just gotten naked and slipped into your bed again.”

“Were you thinking about it?” 

“Briefly, in the bathroom. It didn’t seem like the thing to do.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. This was much more productive.” 

He took one of her hands and held it up to his lips for a small kiss. “I also regret not telling you how much I appreciated your sacrifice in destroying the first Ori supergate and how sorry I was for behaving so badly towards you on the _Prometheus_.”

“It…it was nothing,” she breathed. 

He stepped closer to her and brushed her hair away from her forehead to place another brief kiss there. “I should’ve thanked you for healing the wounded men and women who’d been attacked by those beasts on P9J-333.”

Vala raised an eyebrow up at him. 

“Sam and Teal’c left copies of their reports on my desk.”

“Well, I was happy to help…” she trailed off as Daniel bent to chastely kiss her cheek. 

“That was from Merlin. He’d noticed your kind eyes whenever I’d stopped working on the sangraal in that cave. And he never let me forget that the dark-haired woman with the beautiful smile was waiting for me, and that I couldn’t give in to Adria.”

“He was such a nice old man,” she smiled, her eyes lighting up. 

He cupped her jaw and bent ever so slightly to touch his lips to hers. He meant for the kiss to last just a moment, but once he was there he didn’t want to stop. He indulged his heart and caressed her mouth for a few more moments before lifting his head.

Vala’s eyes were still closed when she asked, “And that was for…” 

Daniel smiled at her slowly opening eyes and the pleasure he saw on her face. “That was for trusting me with your feelings, and well, because I trust you not to break my heart.”

“I could probably do it,” she admitted, “if I wanted to. But just so you know, my heart is just as fragile as yours. We’ll have to tread carefully.” 

“But not too carefully,” he amended and bent to kiss her again.

_Life is too short._  

*****


	4. Chapter 4

His kisses were soft and tender and she could feel herself getting lost in a pleasurable haze. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, asking permission to explore her mouth and she willingly obliged. Heat was spreading from her insides. She could feel electricity tingling on her lips, sparking on her fingertips. She wound her arms around his neck and ran her hands through his hair. She felt him smoothing circles on her back, his hands moving ever closer to her bottom. 

This was not going slowly. They hadn’t yet reached hyperspace, but the way their bodies were reacting was much faster than thruster velocity. She could handle it for a minute or two more, but heaven help her, she was no angel, and the two of them deserved slow. She forced herself not to press any closer to Daniel, not to rub against his body. She would match him move for move, but frightening her skittish archaeologist would serve no one.

Vala knew the instant Daniel had lost his mental control on the situation, as his hands cupped her bottom and squeezed her to him. She could take advantage of his body’s intentions, as they were hers also, but she repeated her mantra: they deserved slow. 

“Orange juice,” she broke the kiss and exhaled the first thing that came to mind.

His eyes were glazed with passion and his lips hovered a mere half-inch above hers. 

“Daniel?” she hoped and prayed he would understand and forgive her. “I’m thirsty.”

He closed his eyes and she could feel his heartbeat slow and his breathing even out. She could tell the moment he realized where his hands were because the pressure lessened slightly and he raised them to her hips. He hadn’t pushed her away and she took that as a sign that he wasn’t angry with her. 

He let out a last heavy sigh, “Orange juice, huh? I don’t think I have any.”

“May I have some water, then?” 

“Of course.”

He hadn’t let Vala go yet. He was confused. He needed to put the puzzle together before the puzzle walked away. 

She’d stopped them with a word, well, two words but why quibble? She’d stopped them but wasn’t squirming to get away. So that probably meant she wasn’t put off by his performance thus far.

Thus far. She’d saved them from himself. He was going to have to get a tighter grip on his, for lack of a better word, urges where she was concerned. He mentally shook himself from the haze. Hadn’t he just agreed to tread carefully with her? And he was about to tumble her onto his bed, just like that. So why hadn’t he let her go yet? 

“Thank you,” he kissed her forehead.

“It was nothing,” she smiled. 

_Well, that’s not good._ “Nothing?” he frowned.

“Well, it wasn’t _nothing_ ,” she rolled her eyes and he set a few inches between them, “but it was right, wasn’t it? One step at a time, right?” she asked tentatively. 

“Yeah, I’ll do better next time.”

“Oh no, Daniel, I didn’t mean that. You were fine, better than fine,” she reassured him with a bright smile. “Believe me, it was tough. Stopping you, that had to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” 

“Alright, alright,” he laughed out loud, “you’ve stroked my ego long enough. Go get some water, I remembered where the artifact is.”

“Artifact? Oh yeah.” She headed for the doorway then gave him a small smile before walking out to the kitchen. 

“Okay,” he rubbed his hands together, his fingers still itched to skim over her firm flesh, to wind through her silky hair. He shut his mind from the sensations. “Artifact, closet, right.”

***** 

Vala found a tall glass, filled it with cold water and drained it entirely. She shuddered and filled it again, drinking much more slowly. _I hope he appreciates the sacrifice I made_ , she thought to herself, not trusting the scientist to sneak up on her again. That would have been amazing sex. At least the likelihood of sex had jumped a few notches today instead of fallen. Not that sex with Daniel was the only thing on her mind. Just one of the things on her mind. She couldn’t quite remember what any of the other things were at the moment. But there had to be other things on her mind besides Daniel, and his lips, and his arms, and his chest, and his hands, and his… She downed her glass of water.

“Found it!” 

She choked on the liquid. “Do you have to keep doing that!” she glanced up to see him marching into the kitchen holding what had to be the elusive artifact. She quickly turned back to the sink to hide her blush.

“What?” 

“Nothing!” Setting the glass on the counter she placed her cool palms on either side of her face.

Daniel squinted at her when she turned around and he grabbed his jacket from the chair. 

“Daydreams?”

“No,” she blushed again. 

“Here,” he held the jacket open for her, “it’s getting late. It might be cold outside.”

“Thanks,” she said as she stepped into the soft leather, “but I might appreciate the cold right about now.” She turned to face him. 

“Too bad,” he smiled, “gentleman’s prerogative to keep his lady warm.”

“Or hot and bothered?” she raised an eyebrow up at him. 

Then Daniel blushed. “Something like that. Come on, let’s get back to the base.”

***** 

The next few days were uneventful. Daniel spent the rest of Saturday night and most of Sunday working on the connection between Sarah’s artifact, the Arthurian manuscript, and the intel on Merlin they’d got on their last mission.

He and Vala argued less around the others and kissed more when they were alone. She didn’t pressure him and he was grateful. So grateful in fact that Monday morning he decided to ask her out on a proper date for Friday night. She’d agreed readily, yet fought the urge to kiss him in the middle of breakfast in the mess hall. He probably should’ve found a better location to ask her out, but this was where he’d found her, and his schoolboy anxiety had wanted to get the ‘asking out’ done right away. How had he ever survived high school? 

There’d been a routine recon mission on Tuesday, their first since becoming involved. After doing an initial sweep of the ruins the team broke off into their natural groups, Daniel with Vala and Sam with Teal’c and Mitchell.

“So what do you think?” Mitchell asked his teammates. 

“They’re fighting less,” Sam replied.

“Yeah, Vala’s flirting with him less too, and Jackson’s not griping as much.” 

“Indeed.”

“You afraid it will affect our missions?” Sam asked Cam. 

“I dunno, maybe. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Maybe it’ll be alright. Their feelings are the same since—well, almost since the beginning. They’re just out in the open now.” 

Cam whined, “They didn’t tell _us_ about their new-found romance.”

“Well, then their feelings are out in the open between _them_. Anyway, I don’t think they’ll let those feelings jeopardize our missions.” 

“Not consciously.”

“I agree with Colonel Carter. They will not put themselves or their safety above the rest of us,” Teal’c offered. 

“You lettin’ us in on something, big guy?”

Teal’c just raised an eyebrow. 

“Alright, fine, but I don’t think we should let them go off by themselves anymore. Too much temptation not to pay attention.” He grabbed for his radio on his shoulder. “Time for a break, kids. Meet back at the rendezvous point.”

The three of them heard Cam’s radio crackle. 

“Roger, Mitchell, meet you there. Where’s my vest?” a somewhat breathless Vala whispered.

“Over by that wall. Vala, are you still holding the button down?” 

“Damn!” Cam cursed, Sam laughed and Teal’c merely smiled. “That’s it, they’re not to be left alone at all. Agreed?”

The other two nodded through suppressed laughter. “Come on, guys,” Sam said, “let’s go find them. And hold your tongue, Cam. I’ll talk with Vala later.” 

“Yeah, okay.”

***** 

“What’s wrong?”

“Hmm?” 

“You’re gettin’ wrinkles on your forehead.”

“Oh,” Sam looked up from her laptop at Cam, “I’m at a dead end with this phase technology; Gen. O’Neill can’t make it tonight for dinner; and on top of that Cassie’s flight’s delayed. Teal’c is helping me with dinner tonight and I don’t think I’ll be able to pick her up.” 

“When’s she gettin’ in? I can get her.”

“You could! Fantastic! She gets in at five now. Let me just call Daniel and make sure he’s still picking up the cake.” 

After the fourth ring she heard a crash and a muffled oath over the receiver. “Jackson, here.”

“Hey, you okay?” Sam saw Cam frowning at her question. 

“Yeah, yeah, fine. What’s up?”

“Just making sure you can pick up the birthday cake, oh and the wine, too.” 

“Didn’t I already tell you this morning that I would?”

Sam could hear Vala clearly in the background. “No, darling, that was me, you said we had to leave early tonight to pick up the dessert and refreshments.” 

“That was you?”

Sam rolled her eyes. 

“Um, sorry, Sam,” Daniel said into the phone. “Yeah, we’re picking up the cake. And the wine. What did you say yesterday? Two whites?”

“Make it a riesling and a shiraz. Teal’c likes shiraz.” 

“Will do. See you tonight.”

“See you tonight, Samantha,” Sam heard Vala say goodbye, then, “what? She’d already heard me…” Sam smiled at the receiver when she heard the phone click and the dial tone resume. 

“They were makin’ out?”

“Maybe,” Sam said, wiping the smirk from her face. 

Cam rolled his eyes and walked to the doorway. “Cassie gets in at five?”

“Yeah. Thanks again, Cam.” 

“No sweat.”

***** 

They were all gathered around Sam’s dining room table, Sam and Cassie at the ends, Daniel to Cassie’s right and Vala next to him, Cam and Teal’c opposite them. It faced a large enclosed sunroom with glass walls and roof to let in the evening starlight. Cam had brought streamers and a few balloons to decorate the ceiling and Cassie was playing a CD of some of her mom’s favorite soft music in the background.

Cassie and her life at Stanford were the primary topics of conversation. Daniel wanted to know what she was thinking about doing after graduation. Teal’c wondered if she was considering joining the Stargate Program. Vala asked if there were any handsome men at her school and Cam asked if any of these ‘handsome men’ were giving her trouble. Cassie couldn’t help but smile at her mixed-up family. 

After dinner they gathered in the sunroom for Cassie to open her presents.

“Well, I don’t know if you’ll like my gift, Cassie,” Cam passed her a gift bag, “but I think these are classics.” 

“ _Top Gun_ , _Air Force One_ , _Executive Decision_ ,” Cassie listed off the movies, “something tells me you want me to go into the Air Force.”

“Well, Teal’c told me you already had _Star Wars_ , both trilogies.” 

“Those are classics, Colonel Mitchell,” Teal’c said, handing over his own gift.

“Meditation candles, and oh, a book of poems. I love this poet, thank you, Teal’c,” Cassie smiled brightly and got up to hug Teal’c, who returned a rare smile. 

Cassie opened Vala’s gift next. “Vala, this is incredible. We’re studying this geneticist in class, some of his theories are amazing! Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. Samantha mentioned the interest,” Vala smiled back. 

But when Cassie opened Daniel’s gift she felt a sudden heart-wrenching sadness. He’d given her a necklace with a silver dolphin on the chain. “What’s wrong, Cassie? I thought you liked dolphins.”

“Nothing,” she sniffed back tears and sat up smiling, “Mom and I were going to go to San Francisco for our next vacation, I was looking forward to seeing the dolphins at the zoo.” 

*****


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey, you wanna dance, Cassie?” 

“Hmm? Oh, sure, Daniel.”

“Ooh, good idea. Care to take a turn, Vala?” 

“Thought you’d never ask.” She smiled sympathetically at Sam as she followed Mitchell to another corner of the sunroom.

“Well, Teal’c, it’s just you and me.” 

“Indeed.”

***

“You alright?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah, I just miss Mom sometimes.”

“Me too. She’d be real proud of you, you know.” 

“Thanks.”

This wasn’t making her feel better. “Hey, what Mitchell said… I don’t have to worry about any guys bothering you at school, right?” 

“You’re just as bad as Jack.”

“Yeah, well, I’m in good company then, I guess.” 

“I can handle boys just fine.”

“Alright. Just promise you’ll let me know if you need anything?” 

“Sure, right after Sam, Jack, Teal’c and now Mitchell.” He tipped her chin up and looked her straight in the eyes. “I promise, Daniel.”

“Thank you,” and he twirled her once around with the music. 

***

“Cassandra appears to be aging at an alarming rate.”

“Yeah. I can’t believe how much time has passed. I see so much of Janet in her. Her strength of character, her determination to do the right thing.” 

“There is much of you in her as well, Colonel Carter. You should be proud of the woman she is becoming.”

“Thank you, Teal’c,” she smiled and laid her head on his chest as they danced to the slow rhythm of the music. 

***

“So, how are you and Daniel?”  

“How are you and Amy?”

“I asked first,” Mitchell pouted. 

“I asked second,” Vala replied logically.

“Fine. Amy and I are…fine. We’ve met a few times since the reunion. We agreed to take things slow but…” 

“You slept together,” she said matter-of-factly.

“No, what? Yeah, alright, we did. It was good, hell, it was great…” 

“But…”

“We were all on the _Odyssey_ for almost a month and… I mean, I’d warned her about what I do, I told her I’d be gone for a while. But when I got back, she said it probably wasn’t going to work out. She said I was her rebound, but more than that. She said that I reminded her of everything that could go wrong with the world. That worrying for me had driven her nuts and she wasn’t sure she was prepared for that.” 

“I’m sorry, Cameron.”

“Hey, no big deal. We’re in the business of saving the galaxy. Sacrifices have to be made.” She almost missed him glance over at Sam before he twirled her in time with the music. 

“You could talk to her, you know.”

Mitchell gave her a wary frown, then called out, “Switch! My turn to dance with the birthday girl.” 

Daniel and Cassie both looked toward Mitchell with startled faces, but Daniel relinquished the young woman with a kiss on her forehead. His eyes naturally sought out his dark-haired vixen. She smiled at him, then tilted her head slightly in the last couple’s direction.

“C’mere, Muscles. Mitchell has just unceremoniously dropped me like a hot potato.” She walked up to Teal’c and held out her hand. 

“Then we must rectify the situation at once.”

Daniel dragged his gaze away from Vala and stepped toward Sam. Raising her right hand in his left, he twirled her gracefully then placed his other hand on her hip and lightly danced to the rhythm of the new song. 

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just feeling like the only girl at the party who no one wants to dance with.” 

“Hey, sorry, I…”

“It’s okay, Daniel. I saw the way you looked at Vala and I’m not upset, really. I was just teasing.” 

He tried changing the subject. “She’s really growing up fast.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” 

“She knows how to take care of herself, right?”

Sam laughed despite the situation. “Fatherhood is gonna be really tough for you, you know that?” 

“You think?” he laughed with her. “Thing is, it doesn’t seem so farfetched now, fatherhood, I mean.”

“Anything I should know about?” 

“You’ll know when it happens. As hard as I’ve tried, you guys have always been able to read me like an open book. And Vala will probably kiss and tell anyway, so…”

“Don’t sell her short, Daniel,” she warned him. “But she’ll probably tell me. Girls stick together, you know?” 

“That’s okay,” he sighed. “This’ll work, right? I’m not going insane, am I?”

“How does it feel?” 

“Good,” he smiled. “Better than I’ve felt in years.”

“Then it’ll work. Simple as that,” she smiled back, hoping his mind wouldn’t run the gamut of how horribly his new relationship could end. Yet in the next moment, she saw terrible thoughts crease his brow. 

“It’s not that simple, is it?” he looked over at Vala dancing with Teal’c.

“No, Daniel, don’t waste time worrying about the future. Live in the present. You’ve got each other now, that’s all that matters.” 

“You’ve gotten pretty smart over the years,” he smiled at Sam.

“You’re starting to rub off on me, I guess.” 

***

“Okay, so once you’ve got him doubled-over, what next?”  

“Cameron,” she whined.

“I’m serious, missy, you gotta know this stuff. What next?” 

“I knee him in the face, preferably in the nose.”

“Right.” 

Cassie was so thankful she hadn’t known Cameron when she was in high school. Jack, Teal’c, and Daniel had been bad enough. Jack’s advice had been a lot like Cameron’s just now, a lot of self-defense moves. Daniel had always kept assuring her that while there were _some_ guys out there who were nice, most guys just wanted sex, all the time, day and night, all they ever thought about was sex. She got the distinct impression that he hadn’t fit in with the other guys in his high school very well. And Teal’c just had to look at a guy she brought home for the poor soul to run away screaming, well, not screaming, but she had definitely tried not to bring anyone new home if Teal’c was expected for dinner. The way these men behaved made one believe that any male from 16 to 60 was public-enemy-number-one.

At least Sam was reasonable. She’d always advised Cassie to trust her instincts, and where the men of SG-1 were concerned, to let them have their fatherly, big-brotherly feelings. It wasn’t going to do her any good to face off with them. They were a stubborn lot, and she’d never get past them all. 

It was good advice, so she half-heartedly listened to Cameron’s lesson on self-defense and where exactly to inflict the most pain on her would-be suitors.

***

“You are quiet, Vala Mal Doran. Do you feel ill?”

“Very funny, Muscles. I was just thinking.”

“Indeed, you must be unwell. Shall I fetch a doctor? Maybe an archaeologist?” 

“Your wit astounds me, Teal’c. Really, you should be a guest on late-night television. Letterman is much better than Leno. We should send him some of your jokes.”

Teal’c just raised an eyebrow and gave her an encouraging smile. 

“Daniel and I are… Things are going really well now, and I just don’t want to mess anything up. For us, or for the team.”

“Colonel Mitchell, Colonel Carter, and I have spoken about your relationship with Daniel Jackson. We believe that the two of you will not jeopardize the team or our missions in any way.” 

“If he was in danger,” she admitted, “I might choose to save him over completing a mission.”

“We believe you would do that for any of us. Our love for each other is what gives us the strength to carry out our missions. However, we would do our best not to put you in a position to make such a choice.” 

“But you can’t guarantee that. None of you can.”

“No, we cannot.” 

“I think I love him, Teal’c.”

“I know that you do.” 

She looked deep into his eyes and saw the fifty years he held in secret. She nodded her thanks and called out tenderly, “Switch.”

Teal’c moved off toward Cassie and bowed over the hand Mitchell passed to him. Cassie dipped a swift curtsy for the larger man and accepted his hand. 

Daniel kissed Sam on the cheek and walked over to Vala. A fire inside him ignited the instant he touched her skin. She gave him a knowing smile, acknowledging that she was feeling the exact same way.

“Last but not least, I hope?” 

“What? Oh, yeah,” Cameron took one of Sam’s hands and led her into a turn similar to how Jackson had danced with her.

***

“Alright, give.”  

Teal’c raised an eyebrow at the young woman with whom he was dancing.

“What have I missed? Last time I was home, Daniel was definitely _not_ undressing Vala with his eyes, Cameron was _not_ stuttering around Sam like he was back in high school, and _you_ didn’t have gray hair.” 

“Did Colonel Carter not inform you of our time on board the _Odyssey_?”

“Well, she mentioned something about being stuck on the ship in a time dilation field for fifty or sixty years, but it didn’t make much sense to me. I never got into physics like she wanted. Anyway, she couldn’t really explain how you all got unstuck, just that _you_ had to remain old—er,” she amended. 

Teal’c nodded.

“Well, that’s the gray hair obviously, but what’s with Daniel and Vala, and Sam and Cameron?” 

“You are a keen observer of human nature, Cassandra. I believe the two couples are in various stages of courtship.”

“I thought as much. You’ll let me know how things go on, right? Something tells me Sam and Daniel won’t want to share too much with me.” 

“I will keep you apprised of the situation as best I can.”

“Thanks, knew I could count on you.” 

***

“The others know about us.” They’d both spoken nearly the exact same thing at the exact same time.  

“I didn’t tell.”

“I know,” he assured her. 

“I think they’re going to let us be, let us figure it out.”

“Yeah, me too.” 

“Daniel, can I be honest with you?”

“Please, always.” 

“I don’t want to wait anymore. I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life for the kind of happiness I have with you whenever you’re near me. I know we agreed to go slowly. But it’s just a slow kind of torture.”

“I don’t want to wait anymore either,” he saw her smile widen and light up her eyes, “beyond tomorrow night,” the lights were gone in a flash and she squinted at him. He almost laughed at the way he’d played her. “Sorry, but I’ve got a truly wonderful date planned and I want you to enjoy it.” 

“Well, if it’s truly wonderful, I suppose I can last one more night.”

“That’s my girl.” 

***

“So, are you and Amy still going out?”

“Hmm? Oh um, no, we broke up.”  

“I’m sorry to hear that. She sounded really nice. Vala said she was very pretty.”

“Yeah, well, you know, our jobs get in the way of life.” 

“Yeah,” Sam could feel the tension in Cam’s frame. “Look, if you’d rather not dance, I need to get started cleaning up the house.”

“Oh, yeah, of course, I didn’t mean to keep you from…cleaning up.” 

She looked at the man standing opposite her and could barely recognize him. What the heck was happening?

“Okay, well,” she walked into the house and stopped at the table to stack a few dishes. 

“Uh-oh.” Vala noticed the scene before anyone else and quickly caught Mitchell’s eye. She fiercely pointed at him and then at the door, indicating that he should follow Sam.

He frowned and nodded. Taking a deep breath, as well as the final swig from his wine glass, he stalked into the house. 

He saw her at the sink in the kitchen tying an apron around her waist.

“Look, I’m not any good with words like Jackson is.” 

“You’re worse than Teal’c.”

Cam winced. _Now or never._ He walked up beside her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. She looked up at him, confusion written on her face. He moved his hands to either side of her jaw and bent to kiss her. 

***

“You shouldn’t stare.”

“Aren’t you the least bit curious?”

“Yeah. But Sam’ll tell you and you’ll tell me. Besides, if we show them some courtesy by not ogling them, maybe they’ll return the favor next time _we’re_ arguing.” 

“They’re not arguing…they’re kissing.”

“What?” 

“You think Teal’c over there is bothered by this?”

“Huh? What?” he tore his gaze from the house to look over at Teal’c and Cassie, who were both watching the scene in the kitchen. 

“Cassie looks kinda happy for Samantha, but Teal’c looks very tense.”

“He’s probably just concerned. We’re gonna have to rethink how we all split up next time we’re off-world on a mission.” 

“I think it’s more than that,” she laid her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and let herself imagine what their date would be like.

“You’re not curious anymore?” 

“Cameron’ll tell you, and then you’ll tell me,” she shrugged.

“Smart ass,” he said as he bent to kiss her. 

***

Sam raised her hands to his chest and with the smallest amount of pressure, stopped the kiss. It hadn’t dispelled the confusion, but Cam saw the hint of a smile forming around her mouth. She wanted to know why.

“She liked my grandma’s macaroons but…she wasn’t you.” He rested his hands on her waist.

“You broke up with her…because of me?” 

“It was mutual.”

“When?” 

“Three weeks ago, when we got back from the _Odyssey_.”

She recalled him exiting the base elevator in civvies with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. “You were catching a plane after the debriefing.” 

“I knew she’d be worried. And I wanted to do it in person.”

“That was nice of you.” 

“ _You_ won’t get the same treatment though.”

She cocked her head and frowned. 

He smiled, “I don’t intend to break up with you.” He leaned in for another soft kiss.

Sam indulged him a moment, then spoke up, “Why me? Why all of a sudden?” 

“Something Vala said a couple of weeks ago in the gateroom. Well that, and something you had said right before her.”

“‘Life is too short’?” she asked. 

“‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’”

“I was talking about the Stargate Program, you know. How, if we’d never stepped through the gate, we’d never have met any allies against the Goa’uld or gained all this technology.” 

“I know, and I bet Vala was talking about Jackson, but it seemed to work for us too.” He raised a hand to caress her cheek.

Her eyes closed at the touch of his lips on her neck. “This is ridiculously stupid of us.” 

“Why? Because I’m a bad kisser or because of the team?” He raised his head.

“Fishing for a compliment, Cam? Of course because of the team!” 

“Hey, when you and me and Teal’c were all talking about Jackson and Vala and how things might get screwy now that they were together, you were the one who said it would be no different than before. Their feelings for each other were the same, just out in the open now. How’s that any different for us?”

“Well, for one thing, we’re military.” 

“Same rank though. Besides SG-1 should get special treatment, for all the times we’ve saved the galaxy.”

“We?” 

“Alright, you,” he corrected himself. He looked into her eyes and saw the beginnings of tears. “Samantha.”

She shut her eyes and forced the tears back. “It’ll hurt…so badly when I can’t save you.” 

“Same here.”

“Can we go slow?” 

“Sure, Samantha, I’ll let you fly.”

*****


	6. Chapter 6

Neither of the two remaining couples dancing wished to interrupt Sam and Mitchell, but it was getting late, and they hadn’t yet served the birthday cake. Fortunately, they saw the couple separate before any of them had come up with an intervention plan. They all walked into the house, vaguely chatting about nothing in particular and completely tipping off that they’d witnessed the entire scene. 

Sam let the momentary embarrassment settle, then stuck her head in the refrigerator to retrieve the cake. Daniel left Vala’s side to help put the candles in and light them, while the others sat and relaxed around the dining room table.

For the next hour or so, they ate desert, drank coffee and tea, and reminisced on each of Cassie’s birthdays over the past ten years. She and Teal’c told stories about how they’d adjusted to life on Earth, and Vala felt quite at ease. She even ventured a story of her own once in awhile, the most recent, her first shopping trip with Samantha months ago. 

No one wanted to leave, but Daniel’s long, involuntary yawn seemed to signal the end of the party. Each member of Cassie’s extended family got up to wish her a final ‘Happy Birthday’ and say good night before they left.

***** 

“That was a lot of fun,” Vala said as she and Daniel were driving back to the base. “I’m glad Cassie was able to come down from school for her birthday.”

“Yeah, she’s growing up so fast. I feel like I only get to see her once or twice a year.” 

“Hey, did you know about the dolphins? Her trip to the zoo with her mom?” Vala asked.

“Oh, no, I swear,” Daniel answered immediately. “I didn’t think it would remind her of Janet. I just knew she liked dolphins, I didn’t know why.” 

“Is that why you asked her to dance? To try to make her feel better?”

“Yeah.” He turned slightly to look at Vala. “You think it was alright?” 

“Yes, it was a good idea. I peeked over a couple of times at her and she seemed to feel much better after that.”

“Good.” 

“Hey,” Vala put a hand on Daniel’s arm all of a sudden and pointed across the street, “can we stop in there for a minute? I need some gum.”

“Yeah, sure.” He pulled into the parking lot of the drugstore and stopped the car. 

“I’ll just be a second, you don’t have to come in.”

“Actually, I need to get something too.” 

They walked in and while Vala was browsing in the candy aisle, Daniel excused himself to find what he was looking for. She picked out her favorite flavor and glanced up in the direction Daniel had gone. He hadn’t asked her _not_ to follow him and so by her logic that meant she _could_.

She found him standing in front of a display with a dizzying array of contraceptives. 

“Hey.”

“Oh, hey,” Daniel tried not to blush. “Do you have a preference?” he tilted his head in the direction of the display. 

“Well, not really, if they’re what I think they are. But I don’t really think they’re necessary.”

“I beg to differ. I don’t want to get you pregnant accidentally,” he grinned somewhat sheepishly. 

Vala smiled back, “I appreciate that, Daniel, but there are other ways of preventing pregnancy. So…well, if there aren’t any health-related reasons…?”

Daniel picked up her thread, “Oh. No, I’m fine.” 

“Then these really aren’t necessary,” she assured him.

Another couple was rounding the corner and heading in their direction, so Vala quickly whispered that she would explain in the car. She almost left the gum near the display so that they could get back to the car more quickly, but she didn’t get off-base much, so she decided to buy it anyway. 

When they’d got in the car and were heading back to the base, Vala spoke up, “Months ago when you had asked me out on our date…”

“It wasn’t a date,” Daniel cut her off. 

“Fine, may we agree to disagree?”

Daniel nodded. 

“The thing is, I was under the impression that it _was_ a date and that our friendship might be heading in a new direction, so I went to Dr. Lam and asked about this planet’s practices concerning contraception. I specifically asked about certain advertisements I’d seen in a few magazines. We discussed options, weighed pros and cons, and finally decided on a prescription for a pill that would work for me.”

“You’re taking birth control pills.” 

Vala nodded.

Daniel was quiet for a long time. “Vala, I… I don’t know how to ask this… You mentioned ‘health-related’ issues in the store?” 

“Picked up on that, did you? Well, we get tested all the time for pathogens and such when we go off-world, so I asked Dr. Lam if we’re also screened for sexually-communicable diseases. To make a truly long, incredibly boring medical story short, she assured me that I had a clean bill of health, and not _just_ for active duty.”

“I…I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless. I think I’ve underestimated you.” 

“How so?” she asked.

“I guess I didn’t think you would…think about all this.” 

“Well, I’m in no hurry to be alone and pregnant again. And without a sarcophagus like Qetesh had, a girl has to find ways to look out for herself.” She paused, remembering he’d underestimated her. “I suppose I _could_ forgive you this once, on account of the Ori threatening the galaxy and all.”

“How much longer do I get to use that excuse?” 

“Not much,” she quipped. “So what’s the dress code for tomorrow night?”

“Well, first of all, did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?” he said affectionately. 

“Yes, when you picked me up at my quarters,” she smiled.

“Good. Because you do. Tomorrow, though, will be casual; jeans and a light jacket, since we’ll be outside for a bit.” 

“Alright, casual it is in then.”

***** 

“This is your idea of a ‘truly wonderful date’? You need to see more movies, Daniel.”

“Come on,” Daniel laughed. “Keep an open mind. This’ll be fun.” 

Vala raised an eyebrow. Maybe this was what constituted a date on this planet. She didn’t think so but what did she know?

“We could make it more interesting?” Daniel suggested after the man behind the counter handed them the equipment they would need for their ‘date.’ 

Vala looked over the metal stick in her hand and replied, “I’m listening.”

“If I win, you have to tell me a secret about yourself, maybe something from before you were a host?” 

“And if I win, we go back to your apartment and have sex.”

“We were planning that anyway.” 

“Right away.”

“Skip dinner and go straight to dessert, huh?” 

“Yeah. Deal or no deal?”

“You watch too much TV. Deal.” 

Daniel stepped up to the astroturf to make his first putt—and sunk a hole-in-one!

“You’re hustling me! You’ve got this place memorized!” 

“No, I can’t believe that!” he laughed. “It was a lucky shot, I swear!”

“You’ve played here before.” 

“Have not.”

“Have to.” 

“Have n… Alright, I have but it was years ago. Besides you have better than perfect vision and your hand-eye coordination is phenomenal—you’re a much better shot with a gun than Mitchell.”

“Huh?” 

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, “He told me about the trip to Kansas.”

Vala scoffed. 

“Fine,” Daniel compromised. “On the first six holes, you can score the best out of two tries. On the next six holes, you can have a practice swing if you like. But the last six, you’re on your own.”

“Alright, that sounds fair,” she rolled her eyes and stepped onto the spot where Daniel had been standing, “but so did this game before I knew you were a cheater.” She bent over her golf ball and concentrated on her putt. 

At the end of six holes Vala was winning 9 to 11. At the end of twelve holes Vala was still winning 21 to 23. After the thirteenth hole, they were tied and there was a whole new seriousness to the game.

“You look tense, Daniel.” Vala stood up on the short curb behind Daniel and massaged his shoulders. 

“Hmm, thank you, sweetheart. A little more to the left.”

Vala frowned at his back. Plan A had misfired. Time for Plan B. 

She stood on her tiptoes and leaned against his tall frame, angling to whisper in his ear, “You see that big tree over there. We could sneak over there and I could kneel in front of you and…”

“Vala!” Daniel said firmly, then regained his composure as she stepped away from him. 

When he set the swing in motion, she finished, “…stroke your putter.”

“Vala!” 

She gave him her most innocent smile. By the end of that hole Vala was winning again by one.

On their way to the next hole, they passed two children with desserts and Vala asked quickly if she could run in and get something. Daniel couldn’t see the harm in it and let her go.  

She came back with a cherry popsicle and was licking it seductively, well as seductively as she could without being obscene. Vala had just upped the ante and Daniel was in way over his head.

She didn’t say a word, she didn’t have to. He simply couldn’t get the image of her sucking on the popsicle out of his mind. He counted to 100 in Arabic, he conjugated verbs in Russian, he listed off gate addresses. Finally, he buckled down and focused on his golf ball and his swing. Amazingly, he sunk his fourth hole-in-one. 

Vala pouted as she finished her treat and made her shot at the hole. She scored a two, mostly because distracting Daniel had backfired and distracted her too. They were tied again.

They got up to the next hole quickly and before Vala could work out another plan, Daniel had scored another 2. 

Feeling more than a little playful, Daniel glanced around to make sure there weren’t any families nearby. “I dream about you sometimes.”

She’d been expecting this since she’d started the verbal attack. “And why wouldn’t you? I’m gorgeous.” She arched over her golf ball and prepared to swing, knowing he was watching her. 

_This is too easy_ , Daniel thought to himself. “You’re naked, straddling me…”

That was nothing, she dreamed the same thing. She tried to close her mind to his voice as she swung. 

“…and stroking yourself.”

She swung too hard and the ball sailed into the grass near the outer fence. “Daniel!” 

Daniel went to fetch the ball. “Sorry,” he laughed, “that shot doesn’t have to count. I just had to see if I could do it. Truce?”

“Fine. Truce.” 

However, she was still hot and riled up, and no matter how much she tried to calm herself, she only managed to score a 3. Daniel was finally winning by a point.

On the seventeenth hole, Vala had sufficiently relaxed enough and scored a final hole-in-one. They were tied once more. 

Daniel really seemed to be taking his time on the final hole, and it gave Vala a few moments to think about the bet they’d made. Would it really be so bad to tell him a secret about herself? She’d been wanting to share with him but was unsure how to go about it. The way he’d set up the game, if she lost, she’d _have_ to tell him something. It would essentially ‘get the ball rolling.’ _Genius_.

Daniel scored a 2 on the final hole; Vala needed a 1 to win, a 2 to tie, and a 3 to lose. This was going to be the toughest hole. Could she lose without making it look like she’d done it on purpose? 

She lined up her shot as she’d done before. When she missed the first shot she sighed and looked sad, “Guess we’ll have to wait a bit longer for sex, Daniel.”

“The game’s not over yet. You could still get out of telling me about your past.” 

The ball wasn’t very close to the hole so, if she could make it look good, she could lose without Daniel knowing it. The problem was the ball wasn’t very far from the hole either, and she’d made longer shots than this already. Her acting skills would have to be put to the test.

She took a few practice swings then stepped up to the ball, and very slightly, pushed it off course. 

“Damn. Can I call a redo? I think somebody sneezed.”

“Nuh uh. Deal’s a deal. C’mon, I’m starving.” 

*****

When they’d gotten in the car and were driving to, well wherever it was that Daniel was taking them for dinner, she’d made a half-hearted attempt to get the destination from him. But she had to admit that she’d enjoyed his first surprise, so Vala had only joked for a little while before giving Daniel his winnings. 

“My mother and I liked to sing when we cleaned the house,” she offered. “I hated doing chores, but it always seemed more fun when we were singing.”

Daniel couldn’t have asked for a better memory. He didn’t know why Vala seemed to like having conversations in his car while they were driving, but it didn’t bother him too much. He was getting somewhere with her and it felt good…very good. 

“What was she like? I mean, you don’t have to tell, it’s not part of the deal, but…”

“She was tall,” she interrupted, “and very beautiful; her hair was lighter than mine and she always smelled of peppermint. We had an herb garden in the backyard,” she said, sharing some of her childhood with Daniel as they drove. 

“Well,” Daniel said when they’d finally arrived a few minutes later, “I’m glad you know how to sing. It’ll make this next event much more enjoyable.”

“Where are we?” 

“Little karaoke bar, about 10 miles from the base. That was part of your definition of a date: ‘a romantic event typified by dinner, movie and/or karaoke, and usually culminating in a night of…’ well, we’re getting to that later.”

_He’d remembered._ “And the miniature golf?” 

“My definition of a date,” he smiled and leaned over to kiss her before they got out of the car.

The bar was pretty much like Daniel had expected. A long counter fronted the kitchen, two pool tables and four dart boards on one side, and a dozen or so tables on the other positioned around a makeshift stage where a sound tech and the bar manager were setting up the karaoke equipment. They found a table and a waitress came over to take their drink orders. 

The evening proceeded without incident, which relieved Daniel like nothing else. Didn’t he deserve a normal, non-life-threatening date? He questioned the universe. Didn’t they both? Wasn’t he entitled to a relaxing evening with a woman he was coming to care for very deeply?

He remembered suddenly all the tension he’d felt before the last…date…fine, it was a date, but he’d never admit it out loud. He compared how he’d felt then to how he felt now and realized he wasn’t feeling tense or anxious at all. He probably should have been surprised at his lack of anxiety considering what they’d be doing later, but he felt content, excited, and energetic. And he thoroughly enjoyed the feelings. 

Vala hadn’t lied the night before when she’d said she’d never felt as happy as she did when she was with Daniel. How could a simple miniature golf game and dinner at a karaoke bar qualify as a ‘truly wonderful date’? She laughed to herself. Maybe because she was with a man she loved more than any other in _two_ galaxies. He made her feel like…well, not like a goddess. She knew what that felt like and this was completely opposite. But she did feel protected and cared for. She felt loved.

Her logic reminded her that it would probably be best not to dwell on such feelings; anything could happen in their lives, and usually did considering their track records. But she was enjoying herself and she allowed her good feelings to fill her, body and soul. 

*****


	7. Chapter 7

The anxiety he knew he should have been feeling all night crept up on Daniel five minutes before they arrived at his apartment. What was she expecting? Would she be disappointed with his lack of experience compared to hers? He ordered his body to relax as he parked the car, got out, and threw her small duffle bag she’d put in the back seat over his shoulder. Vala must have sensed his nervousness because she simply smiled sweetly and took hold of his hand. 

When they reached his apartment and locked up the front door, they stood close in the hallway, face to face, holding each other’s hands. Vala moved first, raising her hands to Daniel’s shoulders.

“So, how do we get from the front door to the bedroom?” she asked. 

Daniel laughed in spite of himself. “We could stumble our way there, I suppose, tearing our clothes off in the process.” An image of them doing just that flashed in his mind.

“Ah, you _do_ watch movies after all.” She kissed him lightly, then shifted her overnight bag from his shoulder to hers and slipped his jacket down his arms. They left it pooled on the ground. 

“Or, I could carry you.” He kissed her back, feeling his anxiety disappear only to be replaced by a completely different type of tension.

“Hmm…I like that idea. I’m so very tired.” She placed her hands back on his shoulders and, pushing down firmly, she hopped up in the air and wrapped her legs around his waist. 

Daniel caught on to the movement in an instant and braced himself for the extra weight. “Now, I was actually thinking of slinging you over my shoulder like the first time,” he joked and began walking down the hallway to his room.

“Oh, how very romantic, darling, reminiscing about our past,” she teased. “I recall having a very nice view of your ass while I was there last time. Would you like to put me down so you can carry me properly?” 

He stopped her incessant chatter with a kiss, a kiss he didn’t mind drowning in.

They reached his bedroom in a few strides and she set her bag down once they’d shuffled through the doorway. Still held against his stomach, she worked at the buttons of his shirt, freeing the skin where his shoulders met his neck. She worshipped the skin with her lips and her fingers. 

Vala was no lightweight and the giddiness Daniel felt when her lips touched his skin nearly caused him to drop her. She sensed the danger and unwound her legs, sliding down his body exposing more of his chest to her.

The sudden urge to feel and touch _her_ skin was overwhelming. He pushed off her jean jacket and felt cold at the loss of her touch, her hands. She must have realized that her hands and arms would be otherwise occupied during her undressing because she was licking at his neck, sucking on the pulse-point, keeping some contact with him at all times. 

It was excruciatingly arousing and Daniel desperately needed to get some control over the situation. He took her face in his hands and brought her mouth up to his, kissing her fully.

She slid her arms up around his shoulders and snaked her hands under his shirt to ease it off him. Now free of the offending garment, his upper body was prime for the taking. She let her hands explore muscles as hard as steel, skin as smooth as silk. 

Daniel groaned. Nearly every time he tried to get a grip on a particular moment or sensation, she tugged them on, one step further along this path they were taking. It was time to turn the tables. His fingers found the edge of her V-necked blouse and he touched smooth, firm skin beneath the fabric. He let his thumbs and fingers caress her as he released her mouth reluctantly. Smiling at the pleasure he saw in her half-lidded eyes, he inched his hands higher, grazing her ribcage. She shivered under his hands and raised her arms above her head so that he could remove the shirt completely.

“You’re so beautiful, Vala, so beautiful,” he trailed off, leaning into her mouth again and backing her toward the bed. 

Vala felt confident that she had accomplished the task she’d set for herself. She’d noticed his hesitation early on and realized the best way forward was a subtle combination of relaxed teasing and barely subtle fondling. She’d believed that he wanted to take control of their first time together, but that he was perhaps too unsure of how she might react. It was a balancing act to get him to trust her, even to trust _himself_ with her, but she was sure she’d driven all his niggling inner-voices away when he’d reached for her shirt and pulled it off. 

Time passed slowly for each of them. What felt like hours was probably a fraction of that time. They undressed each other, they explored each other. They found pleasure points and tickle spots, they laughed and moaned and groaned. It was only when their passion began to boil over that they became urgent in their quest for release. 

Vala was so close to the edge, she felt like screaming. Daniel was above her, around her, inside her. She wanted to shout and cry. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. But it was too soon, way too soon, for those words. Maybe if she could just keep her mouth shut.

And then she was there, falling off the edge of ecstasy and, like an autonomic response, was shouting horrible, awful alien words. 

He’d emptied himself inside her as she broke around him and Daniel had instantly translated the words she’d cried. A moment later he recognized them in a déjà vu kind of way. He raised himself up onto his forearms and she quickly brought her hands up to cover her face. Something was wrong.

Would she ever, ever be rid of her? Would she be haunted by this evil forever? Images and memories washed over her. She couldn’t shut them out, she couldn’t free herself. Suddenly she saw the man who’d initiated her all those years ago and Vala opened her eyes to be rid of the sight. She saw Daniel’s concerned face…with glowing, golden eyes. 

“NO! GET OFF ME! STOP! DON’T!”

She screamed and shouted. She pushed and shoved, scratched and clawed. 

Daniel had seen the fear in her eyes the second she’d opened them. He sat up quickly when she fought him, grasping for her wrists. Gathering her flailing arms together and holding them tight to his chest, he encircled her in his arms.

“Shh… It’s just me, Vala. It’s Daniel. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re okay, you’re safe.” 

She nodded through her sobs, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder.

“Just listen to my voice, okay? Everything’s gonna be all right.” He felt her body relax slightly in his arms and he waited a minute more for her breathing to even out. 

“I’m going to get up soon and turn on the lights in the hallway and in the bathroom, just so we can have a little light in here. You don’t have to open your eyes yet if you don’t want to, okay?”

Vala nodded again slowly. Daniel eased away from her, then got up from the bed and put on his boxers. He kept an eye on her as she felt around the side of the bed for her underwear and wrapped the sheets tightly around herself. Once he’d turned on the lights and left the bedroom and bathroom doors open just enough to let light in, he returned to the bed and sat in front of her. 

Her eyes were closed and she was holding his glasses.

“Daniel?” 

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Would you…would you put on your glasses?” She bit down on her lower lip. “It’s just that…I don’t know any Goa’uld who wears glasses.” 

_So that’s what happened? She’d imagined he was a Goa’uld._

“Of course.” He took the glasses from her hands and put them on. Then he tipped her chin up, signaling that she could look at him. 

“Thank you,” she smiled at the familiar face. “I, um…I want to explain.” She shook her head again, dreading what she had to admit, but Daniel simply touched her cheek again, encouraging her. Vala took a deep breath. “I had been remembering my initiation, my, um…first time as Qetesh with her latest mate. I didn’t want to remember so I opened my eyes, but when I did, you were him…for a moment. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m alright.” 

“Please don’t misunderstand,” she hurried, “ _you_ don’t remind me of him at all. It was that _phrase_ that set off the memories.”

“I’ve heard it before actually. I was Hathor’s ‘beloved’ for a short while, years and years ago. She’d said the same thing when we had,” he swallowed, “you know. ‘You are mine,’” he acknowledged that he knew what the words meant. “Although the literal translation doesn’t really convey the negative connotation, does it? It’s…it’s more like ‘You are my possession,’ or ‘You are my property’…” 

“‘You are my slave,’” Vala finished, staring numbly past Daniel.

“Yes, that’s a better translation.” 

“Qetesh said it every time she…climaxed. And…and I’ve said it every time since being freed. Most men in the galaxy don’t know or speak Goa’uld, so they had just assumed I was shouting some alien endearment. Idiots.”

Daniel was quiet for a while before he asked softly, “Even with Tomin?” He hated bringing the man up now. But if Tomin had been able to dispel Vala’s curse when he himself couldn’t, what hope was there for him. 

Yet she nodded at his question, even with Tomin. “He doesn’t know Goa’uld, but he was curious and asked me what it meant. I mistranslated it for him, ‘I am yours.’ He had smiled and took it as a kind of vow. He was such a dear man, I couldn’t tell him what I was, what I’d been.” Her eyes threatened to fill with tears.

“Shh, now,” he quieted her. 

“No, Daniel, you don’t know either.” She tried to push him away, she tried to back up further from him on the bed. “She…I…she raped the men in her villages. She made wives watch as she fucked their husbands, she made mothers watch as she fucked their sons.” Vala was shouting and shaking her head, she couldn’t look Daniel in the eyes. “Sometimes the men were so overcome by their lust they didn’t know it as rape, but if she didn’t feel any pleasure in watching their faces she always felt rapture at watching the women’s horrified eyes. She knew then that she had control.”

“It wasn’t you, Vala.” He tried to reach out to her. 

“But it _was_ me,” she shook his hand off, “it was my body I saw, it was my altered voice I heard every time! Every time,” she repeated to herself. “She haunts me even now.”

Daniel reached for her again and scooped her into his lap. “So you don’t feel completely free of her?”  

Vala shook her head. “It seems I’ll never be free of her. I can’t even make love without her ruining it.” She covered her face with her hands and cried heavily against him.

“Hey, shh, it’ll be alright.” He folded his arms around her more tightly. “I’ll help, if I can. You’re not alone anymore, okay?” 

She nodded as he rubbed circles over her back.

“Can I get you something to drink? I went shopping,” he lifted her chin and smiled at her. “I’ve got orange juice, milk, tea, hot chocolate…” 

“Mmm,” she sniffed back tears, “I’d like some hot chocolate, if that’s alright?”

“Sure. I’ll be right back, just relax.” 

After he left she took a deep breath and got up from the bed to go to the bathroom. She cleaned herself up and washed her face, holding a cool cloth to her puffy eyes. She took great care to avoid her reflection in the mirror, still too afraid that Qetesh would be looking back at her.

By the time she’d crawled back into bed, Daniel was returning with her drink. He held it out to her, warning that it was hot. 

She cupped the mug with both hands, letting the heat soothe her soul. She inhaled the chocolate aroma and something else, a spicy, tangy scent. She took a small sip, and let the hot liquid caress her tongue before swallowing.

“Good?” 

“I think you made it wrong, too much chocolate,” she teased.

He shrugged, “I thought the alcohol might help you sleep.” 

“Maybe, but it usually doesn’t affect me. It’s relaxing though, thank you.”

“Any time.” 

Daniel slid under the covers on his side of the bed and turned to face Vala, his head propped in his hand. “I have a suggestion, if you want to hear it?”

“Yeah, anything.” 

“Well, since you’re so tense about saying something horrible, you could try thinking of something to say right now, while you’re relaxed. Think of whatever you might want to say and kinda, close your eyes and visualize it. And then the next time we…” he smiled, “make love, maybe you’ll be prepared and your subconscious won’t supply you with the words you’ve always said.”

“I suppose,” she placed her mug on the nightstand and straightened her legs in front of her, “I mean, it’s worth a shot.” 

“C’mere, sweetheart,” he reached for Vala to pull her close and curled himself around her. “Like I said before, it didn’t bother me much, but I know that it bothers you, and I want to help if I can.” He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back. “I’d do anything for you. Just remember that.”

His vow did nothing to settle her though, she felt more broken and wretched for not being able to show him what was really in her heart. Maybe one day she would be able to, but she just felt so raw now. She needed rest. His soothing caresses helped her along and the last thing she felt before drifting off to blissful sleep was that she was protected.  

*****


	8. Chapter 8

Falling asleep holding a beautiful woman was not common practice for Daniel. However, he wouldn’t mind getting used to it. Or waking up next to this same beautiful woman for the rest of his life. 

He lay on his side watching the aforementioned beautiful woman slumbering peacefully. Sometime during the night they had rolled away from each other and had settled comfortably in the bed together. He lay there, replaying in his mind the previous night’s events.

Had he been at fault at any time last night? Had he forced her in any way? No. Their being together was mutual. Vala had told him at Cassie’s birthday party that she didn’t want to wait anymore. They had a talk in his car about contraceptives and other protection-related topics. She’d had plenty of time last night to warn him off if she was afraid that she would be hurt. 

She’d risked the pain for the happiness she said she felt whenever she was with him. Maybe she’d thought his presence would break the curse. He probably ought to tell her about the experiments Pavlov had with dogs and bells. Some things just became instinct over time.

And this was some instinct. His life almost seemed tame compared to what she’d been through. All he could think of to help was just to keep loving her. To keep giving her opportunities to share her burdens with him. 

Vala’s eyes flickered open as he watched her. “Mornin,’” she yawned.

“Good morning to you,” Daniel replied, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Did you sleep well?” 

“Very well, thank you,” she purred and stretched, then scooted over into the circle of his arms and laid her head on his chest. “This mattress is infinitely better than mine at the base. You’d think the SGC would provide its flagship team the best in bedroom furniture.”

“They _have_ experienced cutbacks this year.” He let out an exaggerated sigh, “I suppose we could sleep here most nights, you know, for your health and all.” 

She lifted her head and eyed him, trying to determine whether he knew she was teasing. Whether he knew that she hadn’t meant to invite herself over every night. But he simply smiled at her and sat up, kissing her cheek, “I think you might be thinking too much, Vala. Relax.” He kissed her forehead then and said that he was going to get up, brush his teeth, and get a glass of water.

She lay back in the bed thinking there might in fact _be_ a pleasant afterlife if this little scene was any indication. Daniel came back with the glass of water and handed it to her when she reached out and asked for a sip. Then he slid back under the covers with her and held her close. Yeah, what did these Tau’ri call it, _heaven_? 

Her right hand roamed over his body of its own accord. It ruffled his short chest hairs and skimmed over his tight ab muscles. Reaching the elastic band at his waist, her hand slid slowly underneath and found a treasure. A treasure that seemed to increase in size when she touched it.

Vala propped her head up in her other hand and watched Daniel’s face go rigid, his head tipping back in what could have been pain if she didn’t know better that he was loving it. “You could stand to take your own advice, Daniel.” 

“Hmm?” he groaned.

“Relax, darling,” she whispered as she sat up to remove his boxers and settle herself between his legs. 

She stroked his length, feeling him harden beneath her hands, feeling the tension wind inside him. He’d been so caring of her last night. Through the entire, awful ordeal, he’d only been the kindest soul she’d ever known. There was probably no way she could repay him for his kindness, but she thought she’d give it a shot. Besides, she absolutely adored this man.

When she replaced her hands with her mouth, he almost shattered, but not quite. She felt immensely glad of her position. The intimacy of it gave her a kind of pleasure in itself and Vala felt herself becoming heated with each groan that escaped his lips. At least she wouldn’t be able to say anything with her mouth wrapped around him. She could love him like this and not be afraid. 

Yet it seemed Daniel had other things on his mind. “Up,” he rasped. He grabbed her forearms and pulled her to him, at the same time pushing her underwear down her legs.

“Daniel, I haven’t thought of anything yet. Let me do this my way.” He almost tore her underwear in his haste to remove the clothing, but she helped him along nevertheless. 

He guided her down onto his erection and exhaled when he was buried in her, finally able to relax. “I’ll kiss you when its time, then.” He sat up on his elbows and brought her head down to his mouth. “Just give me a hint when, sweetheart.”

Daniel lay back down, gazing at the sight above him. With one hand fondling one of her breasts and the other searching for a small sensitive spot between her legs, Vala nearly screamed at the electricity coursing through her. _Okay, time to get a grip._ She found a rhythm to ride him, matching his thrusts. He stroked her expertly and she could feel the edge getting closer. 

Thankful for the morning light, Daniel could see her face and anticipated that she’d need him soon. He kept careful watch and listened intently for whatever hint she might give him.

“Daniel…” she moaned his name. He quickly sat up and took her face in his hands, crushing her mouth and swallowing her dreadful words. It took only a moment to take the painful phrase from her, but he continued to kiss her as the pleasurable wave ebbed from their bodies. 

He loved her, he was sure of it, but was it too soon to tell her? He raised his head and saw a few tears falling down her cheeks. Probably still too soon, he thought.

“Sorry,” Vala wiped at her face with the back of her hand, “I was going to say it again.” 

“Don’t be, you didn’t say it, I didn’t hear it. Everything’s fine.” Daniel smoothed her hair and rubbed her back. “I probably should’ve let you do it your way. I’m sorry for getting selfish and wanting to see you on top of me,” he said, trying to get her to smile.

She sighed and gave him a small smirk. “Yes, well, you are a _very_ selfish lover. Apparently it must always be about _you_.” 

Good, she was coming around. Healing would take time, but he’d be there for her, whatever it took.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. What would you like? I’ve got eggs, I can make pancakes and bacon or sausage.” 

“Yes,” Vala replied enthusiastically.

“Which one?” 

“All of it,” she beamed.

Daniel laughed out loud, “Alright, well I better get started. I’ll jump in the shower first…” 

“And I’ll get the coffee started,” Vala finished, kissing him lightly.

Yep, he was definitely in love. 

*****

SG-1’s next mission at the end of the week could only be described as a lucky disaster. They’d made the customary sweep of the ruins before splitting up again. This time, the girls headed off in one direction exploring the ruins and the guys in another. 

“I don’t like how we split up this time,” Cam announced.

“What’s wrong with it? The military are separated, the scientists are separated, and the couples are separated.” 

“Not the genders, though,” Cam griped. “They’re talking ’bout us.”

“You don’t know that.” Daniel looked up from the writing on what looked like old temple walls as they continued their march. “Well, what about Sam, Teal’c, and I and you and Vala?” 

“Nope, old team versus new team.”

“Alright, how about just Sam and I, and you, Teal’c, and Vala?” 

“No, she talks too much.”

Teal’c grimaced. 

“Besides, she doesn’t listen to me.”

“Join the club.” 

Teal’c raised a fist to signal a halt. They’d been talking loudly but he was sure he’d heard some movement. Suddenly they were surrounded by Ori soldiers.

“Shit. They’re gonna kill us.” 

“Sam and Vala, or the Ori?” Daniel mumbled back.

“Hopefully Sam and Vala get the chance.” 

*****

“Recognize anything?” 

“No. I don’t think any Goa’uld ever played god here,” the former goddess declared. “Do you think the guys are talking about us?”

“Probably. Cam was very antsy all morning.” 

“I noticed that too. Teal’c will take care of them, though, won’t he?”

“Of course, they’re in good hands.” 

Suddenly they heard weapons-fire off to the south.

The two women ran through the village ruins, keeping an eye out for enemies and their own teammates. The gunfire had stopped when they reached the central square and the three men of SG-1 were being disarmed by half a dozen Ori soldiers and herded to a ring platform. Before Sam or Vala could do anything they were gone. 

“I’ll kill ’im,” Vala said angrily.

“Daniel or the Ori?” 

“It’s a toss-up right now. What can we do?”

“There’re about four fallen soldiers around here. Maybe one of them has codes to the rings. If the ship hasn’t left orbit yet, we might be able to get aboard.” 

They started searching the bodies when the rings activated. Both Sam and Vala readied their weapons, but neither were prepared for what they saw. Daniel and Teal’c were squatting on either side of an unconscious and bleeding Mitchell, Ori blast-staffs at the ready.

“Vala?” Daniel called into his radio. 

“Behind you,” she took off her pack and fumbled through the pockets for the healing device.

“What happened? Wait, we should move to a more secure location.” 

“Agreed, Colonel Carter.” Teal’c crouched to lift Mitchell by the shoulders and Daniel went to his legs. Sam led them to a building with good cover on all sides and a vantage point of the square.

When they’d set Mitchell down, Vala knelt at his side and held the device over his wound. Teal’c kept watch at the window and Sam questioned Daniel, “What happened?” 

“We were ambushed,” Daniel answered.

“Teal’c, I’m surprised they got the drop on you,” Vala said, trying to keep the worry from her voice.

Teal’c scowled. “Blind and lame soldiers could have ‘gotten the drop on us.’”  

Daniel winced.

“You were talking about us,” Sam accused. 

“SON OF A…”

“Good as new,” Vala smiled gratefully. 

“Are you alright, Colonel Mitchell?”

“Damn, those things hurt.” 

“You’re tellin’ me,” both women spoke simultaneously.

Vala looked up at Daniel, “How did you manage to escape? Ingenuity?” 

“Tactful negotiating?” Sam kidded, even though her voice was strained.

“Brute force,” Cam replied, sitting up. “They had us in a circle in the rings and when we materialized, we pushed and shoved. We managed to wrestle a few weapons away from them, but mainly we just punched, kicked and clawed our way to freedom. Well, up until I got shot.” 

“That was incredibly reckless of you. You had no idea how many soldiers were on that ship…”

“Or if there’d been a prior in the room where you’d ringed aboard,” Vala finished. 

“Guess our manly bravery isn’t gonna impress the ladies, guys,” Cam poked at his nonexistent wound.

Sam rolled her eyes and looked at Daniel. “Do you think they’ll come back?” 

“I don’t know. We’d killed a few, but basically just stunned the rest. I think it was just a patrol ship. But someone may have raised an alarm.”

“Did anyone know one of you was injured? Would they assume we’d made it to the gate by now?” Sam needed information to plan their next move. 

“Probably not,” Cam chipped in. “They’ll probably search the area.”

“By space, air or foot, is the question,” Sam thought aloud. 

“You’re sure it was a patrol ship, Daniel?” Vala asked.

“Uh, yeah, I’m sure.” 

“Well, they don’t have priors on board, Samantha, right, Daniel?” He nodded. “So, if we can just stay hidden,” Vala looked over to the window, “probably for the next six hours or so, they won’t be able to find us without a prior’s abilities.”

“Unless they send for a mothership,” Teal’c speculated. 

Vala shook her head, “No, they probably didn’t recognize us. And there are no villages besides this one near the stargate; no worshippers to convert.”

Daniel finished, “They don’t know if we’ve escaped through the stargate or not, and they won’t want to look foolish for letting us get away. They’ll try to find us themselves and when they don’t, they’ll cover it up and be on their way.” 

“Alright, we wait,” Cam resumed the lead. “We’ll try to head back to the gate after nightfall.”

***** 

“Samantha?”

Sam was sitting against the wall in their small shelter. It was only about an hour into their wait and she lifted her head to meet Vala’s concerned eyes. 

“You okay?”

“This shouldn’t have happened,” she answered Vala. Sam stood up and called over to Teal’c who was still keeping watch near the window, “Anything?” 

“There has been no activity, Colonel Carter.”

“Good. Guys, we need to talk. This shouldn’t have happened. There’s a reason teammates aren’t allowed to date. We may be SG-1 and we may be able to bend the rules a little, but we’re supposed to set an example for everyone else at the SGC, and this kind of thing can’t happen. From now on, we leave our relationships at the gate. Agreed?” 

“Yes, Samantha,” Vala said first.

“Of course, Sam,” Daniel replied. 

Teal’c simply nodded his approval of her command.

She looked at Cam finally and raised her eyebrows at him. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. This was my fault today.”

“I don’t want apologies,” Sam smiled back at him. “You got back, we’re all in one piece, and with any luck we’ll get out of here without another scratch.” 

*****

That night, when they were all back at Stargate Command and had debriefed General Landry on their capture and escape, Vala went looking for Daniel in his office. He was engrossed in a translation and she wrestled with the idea of bothering him. But after what happened today she realized she needed to say some things before the chance was taken from her again. 

“Hey.”

“Hey, Vala. You alright?” 

“Yes, I’m fine. I just wanted to see you.”

She walked up to his desk and leaned against it, fiddling with her fingers. “I wanted to say this earlier when we were on the planet, but we’d promised Samantha and I didn’t want to be the first to…go against her, but…” 

Daniel cut her off, “I love you, too.”

She quirked her lips in half a smile. “How did you know?” 

Daniel shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. “I think I’m learning your tells, we probably shouldn’t play poker.” He took one of her hands and brought her onto his lap. “But seriously, I’ve been wanting to say it for a while now, I just didn’t want to frighten you.”

“I love you, Daniel.” She kissed him, with all the fear and love she’d felt all day. 

_Life is too short._


End file.
